


Destination Anywhere

by TheWinsomeWasp



Category: Glee
Genre: Finn Lives, Gen, M/M, POV Blaine, chapter one notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:42:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 56,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWinsomeWasp/pseuds/TheWinsomeWasp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cannon divergent at end of Season 3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Notes

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one - Notes

Notes: As always I own no recognizable people (or any people really) or places, this is fanfiction, purely for my own entertainment. (like sock puppets) [[Now that you’ve been advised I do not claim intellectual property rights on Glee or its associated places or people you can skip to the story – the rest is to forestall the inevitable sticklers for details – if that’s not you, onward and enjoy.]]

Cannon until end of Season Three: Kurt goes with Rachel to New York almost immediately after graduation they find an apartment to share; Finn goes to help them get settled and perform heavy and tall tasks. Finn does not join the army. He’s drifting aimlessly.

The breakup between Finn/Rachel and Kurt/Blaine all happen earlier. Although Kurt and Rachel move with Blaine and Finn’s blessing, Kurt breaks up with Blaine approximately one month into summer as he would rather they part amicably than try to maintain a long distance relationship at such a young age. Finn while visiting Rachel plans to get a job and move there. Rachel vetoes the idea as she believes he would distract her from school. She wants him to wait in Ohio until she is at a point in her career where marriage would fit or break up altogether. They break up.

Notes 2: I really wasn’t happy with what was done to Finn’s character in the name of keeping him hanging around the high school. Personally I don’t think there is any bashing per se of any character although some characters come off in a very unfavorable light, this is due to taking a serious view at some of the issues [Ryan Murphy](https://www.google.com/search?biw=1194&bih=572&q=Ryan+Murphy&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3ME0zKatIUeIEsc3TzTOMtCSzk630S8qAKL6gKD-9KDHXqrwosyS1qBgADUEZAzQAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV49rQ_uLMAhUCXT4KHRatBAIQmxMItAEoATAS), [Brad Falchuk](https://www.google.com/search?biw=1194&bih=572&q=Brad+Falchuk&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3ME0zKatIUQKzLcvM0pMttSSzk630S8qAKL6gKD-9KDHXqrwosyS1qBgALuuQdjUAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV49rQ_uLMAhUCXT4KHRatBAIQmxMItQEoAjAS), [Ian Brennan](https://www.google.com/search?biw=1194&bih=572&q=Ian+Brennan&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3ME0zKatIUQKzLctM83LNtCSzk630S8qAKL6gKD-9KDHXqrwosyS1qBgA1CG1VzUAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV49rQ_uLMAhUCXT4KHRatBAIQmxMItgEoAzAS) tended to play off as trivial or humorous. I don’t think it is bashing to point out the each the cast of characters behaved in reprehensible ways in order to drive the plot and provide humor.

As the characters were shown to grow and change; only Will Schuster admitted to his inappropriate behavior of the past and offered an apology for it. The truth is that most of the characters on Glee, if their actions were examined with sanity or in the real world, would be seen as specious and shows them in an unfavorable light. Very few of them were given the chance to acknowledge the inappropriateness of their actions or take responsibility – Glee gave very few redemption arcs.

Notes 3: This is kind of an exercise in POV. Normally I jump POV because I am of the television generation and can’t tell a story with just one camera angle. Also I chose Blaine as the central character because he was an outsider who was brought into the core characters much like Sam and would have had to be updated on much of the first two seasons from other peoples’ POV so he only knows what he’s been told from their perspective. The narrative takes some things as facts, because they are the facts as he knows them. He’s heard various versions and learned things after the fact, especially about season one and season two and most of that information was filtered first through Kurt, and later edited by other’s imparting additional information.

Note four: Before anyone accuse me of using Blaine’s family as deus ex machina let me detail my reasoning’s for thinking they are wealthy. Dalton Academy is in Westerville a good hour and a half from Lima. Blaine had to have residence in Lima to attend McKinley, that is how public school in the USA work, so his family must have lived near the school district. Probably a neighboring but close district, with the history of violence directed at him he would have most likely been permitted to attend a nearby school, if he provided his own transportation to and from.

Given Blaine’s roll in the Warblers, the amount of hours of participation he would have needed to practice it is reasonable to assume he was not a ‘day’ student, but a residence. I have some experience with schools of this nature. To be honest four years of high school at a school like Dalton, with tuition, room and board, class materials and text books (the books at least may or may not be supplied by the school as they are at United States public schools such as McKinley) can run upward of a normal state funded college (this varies from state to state but is often close to the cost of college tuition at least at a state school.

For instance in most recent information on the median house hold income in Columbus, Ohio (near Lima and Westerville) was $43,844. The current suggested cost for a freshman at Ohio State with tuition, books, class supplies, room and board is $22,937, the current cost of The Wellington School, a private school in Columbus Ohio, (without additional fees for activities or extracurricular events such as the Warblers) is $22,750/year for grades 9 through 12. Most average households cannot afford to spend over half their income to provide and education that is free but not equal through the public school system.

So I have based Blaine and Cooper’s parents on some of the board members and society wives who were parents of some of my friends from my own school days. Since Blaine’s parents weren’t really around in Cannon much (and honestly only make a few guest appearance in the story) I don’t feel they’re a divergence as much as an extension of Cannon.

 


	2. A port in a storm

 

It was a dark and stormy night. Like some old tale or sad song, a summer storm had been drenching Lima since sunset. Blaine Anderson was driving and thinking, listening to Alanis Morissette; how pathetic. It had been his idea for Kurt to go with Rachel and help her get settled. So technically it was his fault Kurt moved to New York and broke up with him. What was wrong with him?

Blaine turned off the music with a click of a button on the steering wheel of the Benz. He’d been driving around for hours; he’d even had to stop for gas. The third time he passed Pat’s his stomach gave a growl and he pulled into the parking lot. It was nearly two thirty in the morning so there was plenty of space. He walked up to the counter, perusing the menu and wondering if coffee was the right thing to have at this time of night. While waiting for the employee to notice he was there, she was refilling a display case with fresh hot jelly filled, he glanced around. It was pretty empty but he saw a large man hunched over a paper cup in one of the booths. It was Finn, looking as morose as Blaine felt.

“What can I get you, Sweetie,” the waitress asked.

“Two large hot chocolates and a half a dozen of those jelly filled,” Blaine said, because why the hell not, they could both be miserable together.

He and Finn had both got left behind and then dumped while Kurt and Rachel were living the glamorous life in Manhattan. He hadn’t seen much of Finn lately. Burt had always been polite but Blaine didn’t get the feeling that Burt wanted him around now that Kurt and he had split. Blaine had serious issues in how Burt acted like Kurt was some princess in a tower and Blaine was out to debauch him. In Blaine’s opinion Kurt should have sent his dad to a PFLAG meeting or two the minute he came out to him because Kurt still hadn’t broken the news to Burt that he was still his son, not his daughter.

Once his order was up, Blaine told the waitress not to put the string around the box and picked it and the cardboard carrier with the hot chocolates and instead of leaving he walked over to where Finn was. It wasn’t until he set both the carrier and box on the table and slid in to the bench seat across from Finn that Finn looked up from his contemplation of his cup. Wordlessly, Blaine removed a tall cup from the carrier and put it in front of Finn, and then flipped open the lid on the box. He pulled a couple napkins out of the dispenser and spread one out on the table, helped himself to a donut and with a lopsided grin, shrugged and bit into it.

Finn returned a rueful smile and set his cup aside before sipping the hot beverage Blaine had provided. He looked pleased that it was hot chocolate instead of coffee and perked up as he took a donut and discovered they were still warm. They munched donuts in companionable silence for a while and Blaine reflected that since they were both underage, this was a close to sitting at a bar and commiserating as they were likely to get, at least legally.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, man,” Finn offered.

Blaine shrugged and said, “It’d be pretty awkward for Burt and Carole if I stopped by and you’re just too cool to hang around the high school kids.”

“Cool is one thing I’ve never been,” Finn sighed.

And that startled Blaine because Finn, Finn had been okay. He got that there had been some tension between him and Kurt and couldn’t help noticing how differently their parents treated the two of them, but then stuff like that happened with him and Coop too. But despite Kurt passing it off as his ‘unfortunate sophomore crush’, Finn had always seemed to be a stand-up guy and Blaine genuinely liked him.

“Well you were always cool to me,” Blaine said. “I get why Kurt dumped me, but I thought Rachel was so focused on her career that a long distance boyfriend would have fit right in. You wouldn’t be there to distract her.”

“I distracted her, I was going to hang out there, get a job but she told me she needed to devote her time and energy to her inevitable rise to fame,” Finn said, “Classes haven’t even started yet, not her school ones, but I was a distraction.”

Blaine snorted and said, “Do you ever want to just record some of the shit she says and play it back to her so she can hear how she sounds?”

He slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes going wide he met Finn’s and said, “I’m sorry that was out of line, I can’t believe-”

And Finn gave him a genuine smile and shook his head and said, “It’s okay, really. I needed that,” and thank God he kind of chuckled, “maybe make a medley of some of her… most worst and play it when she goes to accept her Tony.”

“Egregious,” Blaine said, “Egregious would work for most worst.” And then he felt bad because Finn had relaxed around him and he’d heard Kurt poke fun at Finn about his intelligence in the past.

“You have a really good vocabulary,” Finn said, as if Blaine hadn’t just been rude. And he liked that about Finn, he just shrugged stuff off. Kurt had held grudges and called up things weeks or months later. Blaine supplying a word like that would have resulted in endless drama and probing into why he felt the need to correct him. Finn wasn’t built like that he was open and gave others the benefit of the doubt assuming they were just as likely as he to make mistakes. For instance, Finn and Puck had been great friends by senior year, Quinn too, despite all the babygate drama Kurt had delighted in recapping for Blaine.

“I just went to a really good school before McKinley,” Blaine said.

Finn said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you still planning to go back to McKinley? I mean, Dalton is better academically and Kurt isn’t there anymore, why not go back to Dalton?” Finn said.

“That would make my parents happy. Living at Dalton, they never worried I wasn’t eating or just rambling around the house by myself, ” Blaine sighed. “I don’t like the way the Warblers have changed. Hunter and Sebastian are still there. Not that I don’t think I could take either if I threw a punch. I’m not a skinny little middle schooler anymore.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Finn said.

Blaine sipped his chocolate and looked up coyly through his lashes. Was he really thinking of doing this, sharing something he hadn’t talked to anyone, not even Kurt, about? But hadn’t he just thought that Finn was one of the most forgiving people, and not likely to blame him the way he still sometimes blamed himself. And Finn was easy to talk to, must be because he did try to be perfect. Blaine drew in a breath and held it. Let it out slowly and said, “I didn’t tell Kurt the whole story, about why I was at Dalton. When we went to prom, I told him I’d had trouble in school, that it was why I went to Dalton, but not how bad. In middle school, I went to the Sadie Hawkins Dance with a friend, but still he had the balls to ask me, so impressive, right? It wasn’t… It wasn’t like McKinley. It wasn’t dumpsters or slushees. There were three of them and… my date and I were both hospitalized, broken bones-”

Finn’s soft, “Fuck,” was barely a whisper and his large hand covered Blaine’s, a warm solid presence that kept Blaine grounded in the now, in the bad florescent lighting and the dark reflection of them in the plate window next to the booth. And that was pretty much Finn to a tee, a warm solid presence.

“So,” Blaine continued, “McKinley isn’t as good a school as Dalton, but damn it if I’ll let a bunch of pathetic scared kids make me too chicken to go to public school. So I’ll stick it out for senior year and get on with my life and they can fucking deal with it.”

“Good for you,” Finn said, “Really man, good for you.”

“What about you?” Blaine said, “Got anything to prove?”

“Nope. Just another Lima loser,” Finn said, “I’ve been thinking of joining the military. If I can pass the entrance exam, ya know. I’m kind of scared to take it because if I never did then I’d never know I failed.”

“Finn, you’re not stupid. I hesitated to say that because military people get shot and I don’t want you to get shot but you could pass,” Blaine said. “I just don’t see that making you happy.”

“I don’t know what will make me happy. I thought Rachel would, but her dumping me was kind of a relief because I just felt further and further away from her and I really didn’t want to be that guy. You know the guy that tries to keep someone down because when they soar they’re just flying away,” Finn said and it almost looked like he was going to cry. “I just don’t know what to do. I’m useless.”

Blaine turned his hand over under Finn’s and used his other hand to cover Finn’s hand so it was between his and for just a moment he almost pulled away because he was sitting here with Kurt’s brother holding his hand. Instead he looked Finn in the eye and said, “Who told you, you had to know? Life is a journey it’s not a destination. Lots of men your age take a gap year, a year between high school and college and just figure out who they are now, and once they get that, it’s easier to figure out who you want to be. Jesus, Finn you’re only what, nineteen?”

“Eighteen,” he said and that was when they figured out that at least for the next two months they were the same age.

“So you’re living at home still, are you working?” Blaine asked, when he finally released Finn’s hand and took another donut.

“Burt’s letting me work in the shop, but I’m a huge disappointment, I can’t do the stuff Kurt could do,” Finn said, taking the opportunity to have another as well.

Blaine snorted and said, “Kurt didn’t pop out of the womb knowing how to work on cars, it took him years to get there, you’ve only had months.”

Blaine had held his tongue in the past, his position with Kurt was precarious enough and Burt wasn’t wired to trust anyone who was dating his son. He’d always been welcome but watched warily. But Burt treated Kurt and Finn very differently. Kurt was provided with a car; Finn’s truck cost less than what Kurt spent on clothes in a season and had been paid for and maintained by Finn. Kurt was sent off to New York, Finn was left to languish in a ten by twelve bedroom. Blaine wondered at the fact Finn’s mom stood for it, if a man married you, certainly he should incorporate your children into his family, yet it seemed very much ‘this is my son, that one’s yours’ with Burt Hummel.

An inkling of an idea was starting to churn in Blaine head. He’d have to talk it over with his dad. He didn’t want to jump the gun so he said, “So your time hasn’t been wasted. You’ve learned working in an auto shop isn’t for you,” at Finn’s snort he said, “What you need to do is try something else. Listen, you can tell me to back off but I think I might have an idea. Can you come to my place tomorrow? After you’re off work, of course.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday, shop’s closed; you think I’d be here this late if I had to be in the shop at six? Burt would kill me,” Finn said and there must have been something in Blaine’s look because he hastily amended, “not really kill me, just ride me, you know. I really owe him for letting me work there. Afternoon? Cause I think the sugar crash is going to knock me out.”

“Two o’clock good? I’ll order pizza and we can watch the game,” Blaine said, and added, “I want you in a good mood when you hear my wacky idea.”

Blaine sent the last couple donuts home with Finn and was surprised how much better he felt. He did some research on the job boards but then went to the local UPS site. Some of the kids from Dalton had worked there over Christmas break. It was back breaking work but paid better than most places. And they were constantly hiring due to the high turnover of such a physically demanding job.

He went into the apartment over their garage, opened the window so it would air out. The maid service made regular passes though just like the house so it wasn’t dusty. The previous owners of the house had their servant live there. Since it was just him they really didn’t have any staff, not like when he was little and Cooper was still living at home when his parents had entertained frequently. Now they traveled so much the house had been closed up when he was at Dalton and now he pretty much used his bedroom, the music room and the kitchen.

He did some mental arithmetic and figured out what time it was in the Philippines and called his father. His dad was delighted to hear from him after he got over his initial worry as to why Blaine was up so earlier. He hadn’t broken the news to his parents that he and Kurt were over, mostly because he didn’t think they would be sympathetic. They were far too likely to point out that high school romances rarely lasted. So he didn’t feel that this was time to bring it up.

After exchanging pleasantries and being updated on all of his mother’s family that they were visiting he brought up his idea. When he suggested moving Finn into the servant’s apartment as a sort of groundskeeper to wrangle repairmen and the lawn service and the weekly maid and any other things that happened while his parents traveled his dad thought it was a great idea and asked if one hundred a week in addition to his room would be enough. Blaine said Finn would probably get a part time job in addition and might take some classes so it should be fine and thanked his father. His father surprisingly mentioned Finn bringing Sam back from Kentucky last year and moving him in with his parents and how such a nice young man deserved some help as well.

That got Blaine to thinking again. That was another inconsistency. Burt and Carole opened their home to Sam during the school year, who they would never imply was dim despite his grades but had no problem shaking their heads and saying, ‘oh Finn’ as if they considered him damaged in some way. They expected Kurt to take on the world and succeed and expected Finn to take on the world and fail. And both their sons seemed determined to live up to those expectations.

Blaine had always done better with a plan. So he started to map out a plan for the coming school year, keeping busy was paramount; it would make time go faster. He’d look into clubs in addition to glee club. He was going to make Finn realize he had limitless potential if it killed him. He set his alarm, got some sleep and then got up and showered. He ditched the gel and just went with refiner, didn’t shave because this wasn’t a date it was just Finn. Pulled on a red tee he usually worked out in and a pair of sweat pants. Ordered pizza and wings for delivery from the website, he’d eaten enough with Finn and Burt to know what Finn liked. Then he started to check out Lima Community Theater online, he had to laugh they were currently doing auditions for a drama, but in October they were set to audition for a musical, and it was ‘West Side Story’.

He just finished making a note of the dates and times when the bell rang. Finn was there holding a case of soda. Blaine let him in and they put it in the near empty fridge. Finn said, “I would have brought beer, but one, you’re a kid and two, you can’t hold your alcohol.”

“One, we’re the same age and two, that was one time,” Blaine laughed.

Finn said, “You ended up making out with my girlfriend, if a straight guy got drunk and made out with you, Kurt would give them a three hour lecture about being closeted.”

“This is not just the bitter ex talking when I say, Kurt does not know everything,” Blaine said.

Finn mumbled, “Try telling Kurt that.”

Blaine was spared responding when the bell rang and the pizza and wings arrived. Blaine tipped the driver but had already paid with a credit card on the site. He put the food on the kitchen island and said, “Since we have time before the game, let me show you something.”

“Sure,” Finn said and followed him out the back door, across the spacious patio and over the driveway. There were stairs to the left of the six car garage they led up to the back of the building and the entrance to a large spacious loft over the garage.

Its kitchen was across from the entrance, fridge, sink and dishwasher against the wall. There was an oven and cook top built into an island that had a raised eating bar and two stools in front. There was a king sized bed, a sitting area with a TV and stereo, the furniture was period, Blaine hoped Finn liked it, his Mom had picked it out during the first season of ‘Mad Men’. Which was ridiculous because even Cooper stayed in the house when he visited, no one had lived here since she decorated it.

“What do you think?” Blaine asked.

Finn said, “Er. It’s nice.”

“Do you think you’d like to live here? My parents need someone to coordinate with the cleaning service and grounds crew, deliveries and repairmen, the apartment and one hundred dollars a week comes with the job,” Blaine said, “I figure it’ll give you something to do while you figure things out.”

Finn looked around and kind of looked stunned. Blaine said, “You don’t have to make a decision now. Think about it, let’s go watch the game.”

They talked periodically throughout the game. Blaine mentioned UPS and how a couple kids from Dalton had worked there over summers and winter break. He told Finn what he knew about the position, how it was grueling, unloading trucks, sorting packages, reloading other trucks all at a distribution center. It was very fast paced. He mentioned how the company normally hired part time because it was such physical work and most people had to work up their endurance to manage full shifts, but that it paid well and once he got used to it he’d have time to figure out what he wanted to do.

After the game Blaine pulled up the UPS site and Finn applied online. Within fifteen minutes Finn got a text back with an interview time for 6 PM the next evening. This shocked the shit out of him until Blaine explained it was automated. Using what he had heard from the other guys who had worked there he said Finn would be with a group probably and tour the facility, get details on what the job entailed and if he was still interested after what they told him about it then someone would work out a schedule with him for training. Although many people couldn’t handle the demands of the job, with how comfortable Finn was with physical stuff, Blaine said he was sure he’d do fine.

Blaine told Finn he was thinking of auditioning for the community theater and asked if he wanted to come with him. Finn said, he’d think about it and about whether or not to take the job managing the property.

On Wednesday Blaine and Sam were chatting on the phone. Sam was staying with the Hummels during football training camp. Sam mentioned Finn had gotten a job with UPS. Unaware of Blaine’s involvement he said Carole wasn’t happy to hear it, she seemed to think Finn would do better working for Burt, but that Burt seemed relieved that he wasn’t babysitting Finn anymore. Blaine froze and asked, “is that your word, or Mr. Hummel’s?”

“Dude, Finn’s my man, I’d probably still be stripping if not for him and Rachel,” Sam said.

Blaine shrugged and said softly, “I don’t want to put you on the spot, but does it ever occur to you that Mr. and Mrs. Hummel treat Finn and Kurt very differently?”

“You mean how they seem to expect Finn to fuck up?” Sam said, the sound of his normal sunny disposition dampening evident in his voice. “I noticed. I think with Carole it has to do with babygate or maybe that thing that happened when she wanted to move in with Burt and he chucked Finn out for saying shit to Kurt.”

“Kurt said he used a slur, but I wonder,” Blaine said.

There was a muffled noise as if Sam was closing a door or covering the phone before he said softly, “wonder what?”

“Finn doesn’t always have the right word to express himself,” Blaine said. “I’ve only heard Kurt’s side, and this is not the bitter ex talking, but Kurt sees homophobia everywhere but refuses to acknowledge his own ignorance. His response to my questioning if I might be bisexuality wasn’t one slur but a deeply offensive tirade, he still won’t admit bisexuals exist. I’d be interested in hearing the story from Finn’s perspective.”

“Finn’s a good guy,” Sam said.

Blaine nodded and then agreed with a hum because Sam couldn’t see him and added, “Maybe he needs to move out, so they’ll start treating him like an adult and not some kid that needs to be babysat.”

By Friday, Finn called and accepted the job. Sam helped him move in on Saturday and Blaine brought a bottle of sparkling cider up to toast new beginnings.

“This is sweet,” Sam said sinking onto the couch amid open boxes. Most of Finn’s clothing had arrived in garbage bags and it had a real dorm room feel to all the clutter.

“Just remember this is your place, so if you have wild parties, you have nowhere to go home too if they won’t leave and you have to take care of your own clean up,” Blaine said.

Finn shook his head as he was tossing tee shirts into a dresser and said, “I don’t know about wild parties, but maybe a poker night, although with Mike and Puck out of town and with those stairs I don’t think I could get Artie up here.”

“Finn, you’re a likeable guy. You’ll make more friends. Maybe you’ll have some guys from work over, although,” Blaine said, “Just so you know, if you ever need to fill a seat, I kill at Texas Hold ‘Em – boarding school, a lot of D and D and poker.”

“I told my boss I was thinking about auditioning for that play and he said he can work around a rehearsal schedule if I get cast,” Finn said.

Blaine was thrilled and then detailed to Sam what they were talking about. Later when they were watching a cheesy old Japanese monster movie on Roku it was Sam who brought up the first time Burt and Carole tried to move in together. He said he was asking because he didn’t want to step into anything while he was living there now and would be back after school started. Sam pointed out that since Finn had moved out he wouldn’t be able to get pointers from him if things got awkward.

“I have to admit,” Blaine said, “I want to hear about that too. Now that we’ve split, I’ve noticed some… inconsistencies in Kurt’s versions of history.”

“What inconsistencies?” Finn asked.

Blaine said, “Kurt always paints himself in a favorable light. None of us are always kind, polite and in the right – if someone is saying that they are, they’re either lying intentionally, or in deep denial.”

And so Finn started a story of his sophomore year, he swore Sam and Blaine to secrecy because they would still have Schue as a teacher, but he told them how Schue admitted to planting drugs in Finn’s locker to blackmail him to joining the club. Not just for his natural talent but for his social capital, not Finn’s words but Blaine was pretty good at translating. And just like with Puck and Quinn with babygate, Finn was willing to just wash away any blame, not because he was too dim as Schue probably thought but because it was three years too late to do anything so not worth dwelling on. Blaine wished he hadn’t promised because he would have liked to give Schue a piece of his mind; Sam had a similar light in his eyes.

As the story of babygate from Finn’s perspective unfolded, it was intermingled with the tale of how glee club escalated what Kurt called his little unrequited crush. It didn’t sound little. Apparently for a number of weeks, Kurt showed up everywhere that Finn was. Kurt never declared his intentions and in fact claimed to just want to be friends. Although anytime Finn tried to back away, Kurt called him on it under the guise of homophobia. It sounded like Kurt took advantage of Finn’s emotional vulnerability over Quinn and the baby. But despite Kurt’s claim to only wanting to be friends, he constantly pushed, flirted, crowded into Finn’s life, harmless gestures or suggestive touching, all just shy of actually asking if Finn was interested in him, all just pushing the line to the point that if Finn called him on it he could retreat and call Finn a homophobe.

Blaine was actually sick at the stomach because it sounded predatory. Kurt had stalked Finn, insinuated himself into his life, got Finn’s mother involved with his father and then the three of them sprang the move on Finn. If Kurt had been Carole’s age she would have hopefully noticed a man using her to get to her son, but Kurt played her, spotting her as her son’s only support and safety and undermining their relationship. Sure all Kurt had wanted was attention, and maybe a boyfriend, but his methods were frankly revolting. They showed an instinctual psychological and emotional manipulation of a sixteen year old boy that made Blaine desire a scalding shower.

The three of them, Burt, Carole and Kurt, working together had planned out the move and Kurt pretty much ambushed Finn with the concept that he acquiesce to Kurt’s desires or disappoint his mom. Kurt had essentially turned Carole, Finn’s only family against him. Having her chastising him for basically saying no the only way he knew how. It was sexual harassment at the least. If someone had done it to Kurt, Burt would have killed them. If any straight boy had done that to a girl it would be considered borderline rape.

“Where were they living that you would have had to share a room? Didn’t you say Kurt had the whole basement? Did they live in a one bedroom house?” Sam asked.

Finn said, “No there was the room Kurt had before he moved into the basement for more room. I think it was being used as a sewing or craft room.”

“That makes no sense,” Sam said.

Blaine knew he should keep his mouth shut, Sam at least still had to live with Burt and Carole but if they chucked him out, Blaine had room and his parents should be okay with it. Sam’s parents might not since Blaine was only adult in the house. But he was so angry it was either grind his teeth to the gums or say something. So he said, “It doesn’t make sense to you Sam, because you’re a Southern gentleman. You would never consider forcing yourself on someone. You’re not manipulative or crass. It’s unconscionable.”

“No one forced themselves… Blaine, I’m six foot four-” Finn started.

Blaine cut in and said, “Finn, what if you had done what Kurt did only to a girl; like Britney or Mercedes? What if you decided, sophomore year that you wanted one of them, you thought she was beautiful and you wanted her. But instead of asking her or giving her a choice, you just stalked her, watched her; got rid of any competition by manipulating them or having others distract them. You then set your dad up with her mom, you don’t tell her until they get close enough that it will hurt her mom when they break up. Then you spring on her that the two of you will share a bedroom once your parents move in together. And as soon as she puts up a fuss you get both parents to force her to get along with you so that they can be happy. You wouldn’t have had to get physical. You’re able to hurt her emotionally; you’ve turned her only parent against her. I wish I could say Kurt didn’t realize what he was doing, but the little shit has had three years to come clean and admit to this and he hasn’t - not to any of us and apparently not to Burt and Carole either. It’s revolting. Part of me wants to fly to New York and punch his lights out.”

“I gotta agree with Blaine here,” Sam said, “when I was stripping, there were times, offers I wasn’t comfortable with. But I always knew I could walk. That home was there, even when we didn’t have one, home was my family and they would always take my side, even if I was wrong. Have you… have you ever felt at home there. You were pretty much roped into this, I get that you and Kurt made peace and this is all water under the bridge for you but… Burt, Carole, Kurt, none of them apologized to you, they all made you feel that you didn’t matter in this, how do you fit into a family that… I don’t know,” Sam said with a hard swallow.

“Mom’s happy. She has someone to grow old with,” Finn said. “Burt would never believe it anyway.”

Sam excused himself to go outside and make a phone call. From the tears shining in his eyes Blaine thought he might be calling his parents to tell them he loved them. It was confirmed when just before he shut the door he said, “Momma?”

“You have a really generous nature, Finn,” Blaine said, “I admire how you don’t hold a grudge. But if you don’t call someone on bad behavior they often never change.”

Finn said, “I figure Kurt just didn’t know how; how to ask. Granted if he asked I would have said no, so maybe he was choosing not to ask, so I wouldn’t reject him. Straight kids get schooled in how to ask, when we start noticing girls, adults, teachers, parents, take us aside and say, you can’t just chase her around the playground, you can’t pull her hair or punch her arm, that’s not how you let her know you like her. But gay kids are so busy trying not to let anyone know that they’re gay, you don’t get those pointers.”

“You’re a better man than I am. Considering how often Kurt points out how clever he is, you would think he could have found a way to say I like you without resorting to emotional terrorism,” Blaine said.

Finn laughed and said, “Okay, even I know you just made that term up.”

Things got busy after that, the summer ended and school started. Blaine did pass Carole in the drive once shortly after school started when she had come to visit Finn. She stopped Blaine as he was getting out of the car and they had a chat. He tried not to be frosty with her as she inquired how school was. He figured any details on school she could get from Sam as he was still living with her and then realized she was pumping him for details on Finn. He said he really didn’t see him much. Honestly, between Blaine’s school and Finn’s other job they had only managed dinner about once a week. He told her since Finn had moved in that they often communicated details about the house by text. She expressed concern that Finn hadn’t been picking up when she called him and would take hours to get back to her. It worried her since when he worked for Burt he always answered right away.

“I actually don’t know how long his shifts are or what his schedule is, but from what I’ve heard, they’re pretty busy, it’s not the kind of job you can pull out your phone on. My guess is he leaves it in a locker with his car keys; it’s pretty hands on work,” Blaine said.

Carole fretted, “I just think he’d be better at the shop. He’s been losing weight.”

“He’s not a certified mechanic,” Blaine said, “and from what I understand, Burt was rather disappointed in his… aptitude. UPS is a good company. They have facilities all over. He could probably move anywhere and still work for them.”

“Do you think he’d move?” she said sounding surprised.

Blaine wanted to ask her what she thought was keeping Finn in Lima. Certainly not a home, his friends were all moving on to other places. If not college, Finn might transfer out West. Puck was certainly more of a brother to him than Kurt. But instead he shrugged and said, “I’m probably not the one to ask.”

“What about you dear, are you still planning to go to NYADA?” she said.

Her tone indicated she was just being polite, but Blaine was feeling bitchy with the whole Hummel household and it would surely get back to Kurt so he gave her his bland country club smile and said, “I think I’ve learned my lesson on picking a school just to follow a boy. I received early acceptance from Carnegie Mellon. They have one of the top five drama departments in the country and one of the best business schools. I figure I’ll major in both.”

Blaine went into the house and pulled a couple of steaks out of the fridge. He set them on the counter to warm up. There was a bag of broccoli slaw and a container of potato salad. He really needed to go shopping. Finn’s car pulled up and Blaine had been planning to use the second steak for a salad lunch the next day but figured since he hadn’t seen Finn other than to nod in over a week he’d offer it to him.

He opened the back door and called out, told Finn his mom had been looking for him and asked if he wanted dinner after he showered. As if Finn would decline food. Still Blaine wanted to discuss the auditions, they were only two weeks away and Finn had a good ear and body of musical knowledge so maybe they could brainstorm song ideas for the singing portion of the auditions.

After Finn showered and called his mom, he came into the kitchen while reiterating what Blaine had told her about not having his phone with him while he was working. She invited him over for dinner but he said he already had plans and tossed Blaine a wink. He assured her he hadn’t lost weight that it had just moved around as muscles developed. It sounded like he was making arrangements to go over for dinner on Monday and then he ended the call.

“Geeze when I lived there she didn’t talk to me this much,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “I think she’s suffering from empty nest syndrome. Maybe you can suggest she and Burt try for another kid while you’re there.”

“Dude! I can’t believe you said that. Like you would suggest that of your parents,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “My parents are older than yours. Cooper is eight years older than us.”

Dinner was simple and nice, Blaine spent too many nights eating takeout alone or making too much for one person and having to eat it for three days straight. They talked about which parts they would try for, Finn leaning for Tony, not because it was the lead but because of the male roles it had the least amount of dancing. Finn seemed far too willing to back away if Blaine wanted it and Blaine said he would prefer, Bernardo or Riff for the very reason he wanted to try more dancing. He reminded Finn he hadn’t wanted Tony when the high school performed WSS.

Talk then turned to what songs they should sing as Blaine explained contrary to what Rachel and the rest of glee club had done; one did not usually audition with a song from the show. Blaine was actually thinking of doing a Katy Perry song but Finn said for a role like Riff or Bernardo he would want something tougher, that showed off his lower register. Finn suggested, ‘Mack the Knife’ which would never have occurred to Blaine and somehow, Blaine convinced Finn to rehearse Madonna’s ‘Crazy for You’. After working on both of them, shifting keys to best accommodate their voices and to reflect the roles they were auditioning for they each rehearsed them several times, using the other’s feedback to improve they felt pretty confident.

They decided to also rehearse a duet together figuring it might improve their chances and they picked Sinatra’s ‘Witchcraft’. Blaine hoped Finn got cast because it was obvious he missed performing. They made arrangements to meet again before the actual audition date. As he was leaving Blaine asked Finn if he’d considered applying to any schools and Finn balked and Blaine pointed out most major cities had UPS, if he got accepted he’d have a pretty good part time job to help out. And that Finn did want to start in the fall term he would most likely want to get an application in soon, definitely before the end of the year.

 


	3. The Last of Lima

 

The next time Blaine and Finn rehearsed they talked about putting a set of Sinatra tunes together and maybe getting a couple other guys and a small band and doing a charity benefit; a single night performance in a Rat Pack style. Blaine thought Sam and Artie might do it and Finn thought Puck might come home for the holidays. The five of them had really nailed ‘Man in the Mirror’ and should be able to trade solos, duets and a couple group numbers. If they did it over winter break people would be in a giving mood. Blaine researched venues and bound a performance hall in the Veteran’s Center that the Warbler’s had performed at for an acapella competition. It had over seventeen hundred seats. Blaine sent in inquiries to a number of places regarding what renting the hall would involve and if they had special rates for charities. The Veteran’s Center was the only one with a decent date open before Christmas. The next day he talked to Brad about getting the jazz band to back up a show and to the AV club about recording and filming it.

He picked up songbooks for Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Blaine figured they could rent tuxes and after offsetting the costs associated with the venue and putting on the show, donate the rest to the local food bank. Maybe even arrange for members of the food bank to have a drop off for donations at the venue the night of the concert. People were always looking for something to do around the holidays and they should be sick of Christmas carols by then.

Blaine booked the hall and while they waited to audition at the Community Theater, he distracted Finn by having him help pick out songs. Sam was definitely in but Artie was reluctant, he felt he was already spread too thin with glee club and his film making. But he did offer to film the event, or direct the filming and have his minions film it.

“Puck said he’d do it but he’s only getting here a couple days before,” Finn said.

Blaine shrugged and said, “He can rehearse without us and he’s a quick study. We’ve already rehearsed ‘Witchcraft’ more than most of the songs we do in competition. And the Rat Pack was a pretty loose onstage circus, think drunk karaoke in Rachel’s basement. What we need to do is get the songs to the band so they can rehearse and figure out a line up so it goes smooth. I think this will be fun. Sam and Puck aren’t divas; it won’t be like glee club where all the girls are fighting Rachel for the mike.”

Finn snorted and shook his head and Blaine asked, “Is it too soon? Am I being insensitive?”

“Actually, you’ve been really cool about it all,” Finn said. “Thanks, for this, and well, everything.”

“You’ve been a pretty good friend yourself, not many people would let me drag them in to this junk,” Blaine said.

Finn shrugged and said, “Believe it or not, your dragging gives me more choice than most people. They all think they know what’s best for me, but none of them have the answers I’m looking for.”

“Well if I ever think I know best, call me on it. I don’t want to be that guy,” Blaine said.

Finn had made the right call in suggesting ‘Mack the Knife’, Blaine was halfway though, much further than many of the others got with their songs and he was pretty sure the director wanted to jump him. It was a middle aged woman and Puck would have been pleased but he was just creeped out. The same woman looked at Finn like she wanted to climb him when he crooned ‘Crazy for You’.

After Finn finished and joined Blaine in the auditorium seats, Blaine leaned in and said, “If she tries to get you naked, tell her you’re my boyfriend.”

“What?” Finn said looking around wide-eyed.

Blaine said, “The director wants you, possibly for sex, possibly as food, but if you want, feel free to hide behind my homosexuality.”

“Dude, she’s not…oh? Yeah, that’s not cool. She wants us to come over,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “Lead the way, Stud.”

“You’re both really good singers. And I think you fit the parts well,” she said. Blaine almost laughed. He and Finn weren’t as mismatched as Finn and Rachel but it was close and Riff and Tony had a scene where they roughhoused that would be pretty funny if he was cast as the tough guy Riff and Finn was sweet sensitive Tony.

They discussed their dance background and a dance lead took them though some steps. Finn actually wasn’t the worst dancer there, his experience with show choir served him well. The group that was asked to stay went over rehearsal schedules. It was understood that most of them had school or jobs that would play into it. Finn was nervous to have the lead since he’d never acted before but they could run lines and as Blaine pointed out he had more experience in front of crowds than most of the cast. Maria was played by, well, Maria, a short African American girl from OSU Lima, who had a voice that reminded Blaine strongly of Tina’s. The casting alone made him think this would be a much better production than McKinley’s.

Rehearsals got underway almost immediately. Blaine now saw Finn almost daily. When they weren’t singing they were running lines, or working out because Blaine’s costume was pretty much tight jeans and a tank top and he was kind of self-conscious. Sam helped with that and was over almost every night after Finn left for work. When they weren’t working on homework, Sam and he were working on the Rat Pack show. Those songs were all new to Sam, his background being mostly Country and Pop. Finn seemed to know a lot of them and said his dad had left vinyl from his father and Finn had played it a lot as a kid when they still had a turntable that worked.

Sam’s low SAT scores had Blaine pushing into his life much the way he had with Finn. Sam just called it being best friends, but Blaine had taken all the suggestions the Special Ed teacher Ms. Montague had given and set up a schedule to improve Sam’s grades. Blaine felt pathetically grateful for Sam’s friendship. Senior year would have been a long lonely haul without him.

Opening night for ‘West Side Story’ was scheduled for December 28, and it would run Friday and Saturday through the end of January. The high school version had only run three nights. Their charity concert was on the 21st, they’d lucked into a weekend slot due to a last minute cancellation. Puck was getting in the fifteenth so they could rehearse around their theater rehearsals. Gloria, the creepy middle aged director, was very accommodating, not just because she wanted to sleep with Finn but because all the publicity that the benefit was generating for the show. The posters for the benefit all said in smaller letters at the bottom, featuring the stars of ‘West Side Story,’ and the dates it was playing at the community theater.

Sam had started staying over a couple nights a week when they were rehearsing for the concert. There wasn’t much Burt and Carole could say, Sam’s parents trusted him and Blaine. Especially as Sam told his parents that Blaine had talked to Ms. Pillsbury about how Sam wasn’t stupid and that his record low scores may reflect some other problem. Ms. Pillsbury had found schools that would over look his SAT scores. But because she had had Sam tested and he read as dyslexic she was now checking to see if he could retake the SATs with a proctor so they could be verbal. Although reading between Sam’s odd silences Blaine got the feeling Burt thought the two of them might be involved sexually or something. Sometimes Blaine wondered if Burt’s odd tendency to treat gay men as vulnerable girls who any guy might try to get a leg over on said more about Burt than he was admitting.

Blaine had a spreadsheet with itemized expenses on the concert and had calculated a breakeven point. By the time Puck arrived back at Lima, there were posters in almost every store and adverts in the local newspapers. Tickets were twenty five dollars a seat and they needed of fill seven hundred seats to break even. So any of the thousand remaining seats after that would be profit and go to the charity. Advance ticket sales for their one night performance only showed five hundred seats so far. Blaine then blasted out an e-vite to all the show choirs in Ohio before the holiday break and hoped there would be more.

Sam had even worked in some of his sexy hip rolls in ‘Mambo Italiano’ a song that really lent itself to his love of impressions. Sam did an amazing drunk Dino after watching some old recordings of The Rat Pack and the old Dean Martin television show on YouTube. Sam was also doing ‘That’s Amore’ and ‘Everybody Loves Somebody’. And Sam, Puck and Blaine were doing, ‘The Fugue For Tinhorns.’ Sam and Finn were doing, ‘You’re Nobody Til Somebody Loves You.’ And Blaine and Sam were doing, ‘It Was A Very Good Year’.”

Puck was, in a nod to his love of great Jewish performers, taking Sammy Davis Jr’s songs, ‘Girl From Impanema’, ‘Rock-A-Bye Your Baby’, ‘What Kind of Fool Am I’ and ‘Candyman’. Puck and Finn were doing duets to, ‘Me and My Shadow’ and ‘I Gotta Be Me’.

In addition to ‘Witchcraft’ Blaine and Finn were doing ‘My Way’ together. Blaine was taking a solo with ‘Fly Me To The Moon’, ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ and ‘Night and Day’. Finn was taking ‘Come Fly With Me’, ‘Mack the Knife’ and ‘Luck Be A Lady Tonight’. All four of them were doing, ‘New York, New York’, ‘Impossible Dream’ and ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’.

They were still tinkering with the song order, the show should run well over an hour, hopefully under two, but that was a really long time to be on. So they wanted to get each of them off stage to rehydrate and rest. Lord knew they were spent after three songs in competitions and this would be considerably more. But all four of them were in good shape physically, there really wasn’t any dancing just a lot of swaggering and it looked to be coming together well.

A few days before Puck arrived, Cooper showed up and Blaine briefly feared he was going to hog the spotlight and then realized he really didn’t care. He’d originally concocted this to give Finn a chance to perform because he figure neither of them would be cast in ‘WSS’ but now Finn had over a month of performances to shine and they could just have fun. So when Finn offered Coop a couple of his songs, Blaine chimed in he could have some of his. Cooper actually declined, possibly because the ads were up and he had no billing or credit.

Two days before the concert, Blaine was flying high. He not only finished all his Christmas shopping, he received a text from the box office they had broken one thousand ticket sold as of ten that morning. That evening only Puck asked why Blaine was hugging him when he jump/hugged everyone. It was their last chance to rehearse with the band that would back them. It wasn’t really a dress rehearsal but it let them run through and get their cues, in the high school auditorium.

Mr. Schue and Miss. P were in the audience watching them looking very proud and Blaine came very close to spilling a secret to Sam that his parent and brother and sister would be driving up to Lima to see the show and were spending the night at the Anderson’s before going back to Kentucky with Sam for Christmas. Although he was leaving for Kentucky the day after the concert, since the play was running so long Sam promised he’d be there for one of their performances when he got back.

So Blaine focused on the good news regarding advanced sales. The ticket sales were now covering costs and they were making money, not sold out but doing well. Even the band was excited. Cooper was there, going over lighting cues and suggestions with a star struck AV club member who had hearts in her eyes at the famous :cough: actor.

The next day Kurt and Rachel flew in and Sam made his escape to the Anderson house already packed for his trip to Kentucky. Rachel was staying with her dads but as Sam put it ‘The Kurt Show’ was on full swing and he’d brought home some guy. Sam was ready to offer empty carbs or a shoulder to cry on if Blaine needed one. Blaine thought it was sweet that Sam was running interference but was more worried that his own parents were going to miss the concert. He had tickets for them being held at Will Call along with the four for Sam’s family but their connecting flight had been cancelled so his mom and dad would be cutting it close. Cooper would be hovering backstage and hopefully not trying to teach them to point while the show was in progress.

Burt and Carole had tickets but Sam couldn’t be sure Kurt and his boyfriend, or random guy he roped into coming home with him and posing as his boyfriend, would be there. Frankly Blaine could care less, but not much less. Sam had done a pretty hysterical impression of Kurt being surprised that this Adam guy was being relegated to one of the bunks in Sam and Finn’s old room. That reminded Blaine of the uncomfortable story of the house with no room for Finn and how Burt had no problem putting a boy in with Kurt if the boy was the unwilling recipient of his lust, only if he was willing.

Tina had got a whole block of tickets for all the out of towners coming back for the holidays, Mike, Mercedes, Quinn and Santana so most of the glee club old and new were planning to go together. Whatever drama Rachel and Kurt were projecting Blaine would be more than happy to give it a miss. He kind of hope they both skipped WSS too. Knowing Rachel, no matter how well Finn did on opening night, she would feel compelled to mention it wasn’t Broadway, or that he wasn’t the triple threat she was, or some other backhanded compliment that was designed to crush his ego, emasculate him or both.

Finn needed better taste in girls. Blaine had had some truly cringe worthy memories of some of the comments he had let slide from Santana all last year. Simply because she said she was a bitch it was like they let her get away with anything. The ridiculousness of ‘The Bully Whips’ and her running on an anti-bullying campaign for prom queen when she bullied people every day was not lost on Blaine. Words she had said to Finn every day stood out starkly now that he had some perspective. Or rather now that he no longer had Kurt filling his ears with his interpretation of her actions. If Mercedes had slept with Shane or Sam and either of them then attacked her body image, her intelligence, and her sexual skills day after day, relentlessly verbally abusing her in public and shrugged off such heinous behavior as ‘just how I am’; well, Finn himself would have been the first to call them on it and make them stop. The fact that the rest of them just watched it and accepted it and afterwards dismissed it as ‘poor Santana it’s so hard to be a closeted lesbian’.

Blaine didn’t know if it was another example of Finn’s amazing tolerance and kindness or just an example of how truly low Finn’s expectations of his friends were. That first night that Puck had been back in town, after Finn had gone off to put some hours in at UPS and Sam and Coop had gone up to get ready for bed, Blaine found himself in the kitchen with Puck who was still on West Coast time. Puck was crashing with Finn as his mom and sister had moved to a smaller apartment while he was out west. As they ate cold chicken and had a couple of Cooper’s microbrews, they talked about the Santana thing. Blaine carefully didn’t mention to Puck that now that he had perspective Blaine thought that Puck had gotten the raw end of the Quinn thing with babygate mainly because Puck was looking to hook up with Quinn while they were both home.  

At first they didn’t agree that Santana had been a bully, but after Blaine used the Mercedes example, Puck looked thoughtful, like it hadn’t occurred to him that such things could apply to guys. Given the rumors Blaine had heard regarding how Puck had supplemented his income since his freshman year in high school that wasn’t surprising. Talk moved to the show and their upcoming rehearsal with the band, and the performance itself.

“Have Artie burn you a couple discs,” Blaine said, “the audio file is going to be for sale on the food bank’s website for five bucks; all proceeds after cost go to the food bank. But get the video as well, you can use it on you show reel.”

“My what?” Puck said.

Blaine looked confused and said, “You’re young, you’re talented and you’re living in LA. Are you saying you’re not auditioning?”

“Never really thought about it,” Puck said. “Acting was always Berry’s thing; I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a screenplay.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and said, “Do both. Seriously use those good looks for more than getting laid. The connections you make looking for work as an actor will serve you well when you’re peddling a screenplay. Talk to Coop while you’re here, I know he’s a shameless attention hog, but he knows about crafting an image and getting head shots and might not want to admit it now that he thinks he’s a big star but he knows a lot about working as an extra.”

Cooper’s voice came into the kitchen before him and he said, “Heard that, Squirt. But yeah, I can hook you up with some contacts. And I’ve heard you rehearse, if nothing else you can play a lounge singer in a period flick.” And he joined them for a beer and to talk shop.

The day of the concert they were all at the hall hours before the performance. Blaine’s parents had arranged a catered lunch to be delivered for them all, including the band and cases of bottled water. The tuxes they had rented were all basic black and very in keeping with the Rat Pack. Their tuxes had been hung and were waiting in the changing room. Unlike show choir all four of them were doing vocal warm ups with Brad using the piano to get them on note. Brad had the set lists printed in very large font. It was taped up on backs of instruments, in both wings, and pretty much everywhere they could fit it. Cooper had it on a clipboard and would be crossing the songs off when they were finished. Unbeknownst to him Blaine had arranged for Cooper to be billed as stage manager in the program and in the video of the concert in the credits, where they listed the names of the band and the instruments they played. It wasn’t much but he could at least put it to his CV. Brad was going to be billed as music director. Blaine was taking the producer credit with Artie as sound engineer and camera director.

The rest of the WSS cast was attending, any of Finn’s friends from UPS that could get the evening off were attending, the current New Directions and their families were attending, Coach Beiste and even Coach Sylvester, Mr. Schue and Miss. Pillsbury, so it was pretty heady when a women from the venue came backstage and told them they were sold out. While the others were celebrating and fist bumping Blaine was able to confirm that both the Evans and the Andersons had picked up their tickets from will call.

And just like that it was curtain time. They weren’t actually using the Rat Pack’s names, just doing the songs they’d made famous and if Blaine was reading it right maybe not this year but sometime next year Shue would be assigning the Rat Pack the way he did Jackson and Gaga. But as soon as the lights hit them they became the moving party of suave that had swung the sixties in with style. They had no Joey Bishop and only Sam would have had a chance of making some of those cheesy jokes work in this millennium but they were four talented guys, working the audience and having a blast.

Their energy only increased as the show went on. Puck had lost his Mohawk for this and was oozing whatever mojo he claimed to have and had the women in the audience acting like teenagers. Sam didn’t lose his shirt at any time during the performance and thankfully had completed the song with the hip rolls before he spotted his family in the audience; after that Sam could not stop smiling. Finn looked as impeccable as Frank, all his physical labor at UPS had increased his impressive shoulder to waist ratio, and he just looked like a star. Blaine, who was splitting the Sinatra numbers with Finn didn’t try to compete; he went for ungelled curls, scruffy five o’clock shadow with an open collar and bow tie undone and hanging loose around his neck.

The energy never faltered, their tuxes were drenched though with sweat and while Blaine had already budgeted dry cleaning the tuxes into the projected cost of their performance he didn’t envy whoever had to do it, because dry, they were not. When the curtain came down, the audience was on their feet. A standing O in real life not a high school competition; it was surreal and a dream come true. They were hugging everyone, each other, Brad, Coop and the band.  The curtain came up again and Finn swaggered to the front of the stage with his mic and thanked the audience for coming, reminded them what a great cause the foodbank was and let them know they could purchase the show’s soundtrack from the foodbanks site as of December twenty fourth if they needed a last minute gift. He then introduced each and every member of the band and thanked them, reminding the audience they were students who had not only volunteered for the evening but had rehearsed without any pay all for this great cause. He even called Cooper out for a round of applause as their stage manager. Blaine couldn’t help but think that Finn was born to be in front of an audience. He was so relaxed and happy and they just responded to him. Finn then introduced each of the four of them and they all did one last number as an encore, ‘That’s Life’.

And the curtain went down. Backstage was more raucous than when the football team had taken state. They were trying to get to the dressing room and put on street clothes but it wasn’t just the band or people from the venue. Parents, family, friends, someone – probably Rachel or her dads – had a large bundle of red roses being shoved into Finn’s hands, he handed it off to Puck, Puck passed it to Sam, Sam to Blaine who sent it back to Finn and they were all laughing and playing hot potato with the roses. Carole hugged Finn and then Kurt hugged him and then Rachel, and then Quinn rather obviously hip checked Rachel out and took her place before she moved on to hug Sam and then stayed tucked under Puck’s arm. Blaine wanted to cringe because he knew how sweaty they all were. Blaine’s mother kissed his cheek and his father shook his hand while Cooper slapped him on the back.

“Did you really only start arranging this when Finn started working for us?” His father asked.

Blaine nodded and said, “We couldn’t have pulled it off without all the help from the food bank, oh and Brad,” and he snagged the quiet man and introduced him to his parents.

After they all showered and changed they met their friends at an all-night pizzeria. Sam’s parents made it an early night due to the drive the next day and took his brother and sister back to the Anderson’s. Cooper ditched the high school kids and went back home as well. It was three o’clock before the four of them made it back to Blaine’s, with Puck going up the apartment over the garage with Finn and Sam coming into bunk with Blaine. They didn’t get much sleep before they were all around the large dining room table having a big breakfast that his mother and Mrs. Evans had put together. Blaine was thinking Sam’s mom must have bought food while they were getting ready at the venue because he was pretty sure he hadn’t had most of this stuff the day before.

The Evans Family wasn’t just pleased with Sam’s amazing performance and how well the football team had done that fall. Sam’s grades were better than they’d ever been. Ms. Pillsbury when Blaine and her had been consulting on schools that didn’t require SAT scores had checked Sam’s file and saw he’d never been tested for learning disabilities. Once he’d got help and waivers to take most tests verbally his grades had improved vastly.

The house was much louder than the normal family brunches, even Puck and Finn joined them, but his mom and dad seemed to like the house filled with boys and his mom and Mrs. Evans got along well. Everyone was hugging everyone as the Evans family got on the road, lots of wishes for Merry Christmases and Happy New Years were exchanged. Despite Blaine having finishing his own, he ended up getting dragged out Christmas shopping with his mom. And that evening there was an old and new New Directions party at Rachel’s that Blaine wouldn’t have minded skipping but didn’t have the excuse that Sam did.

Santana and Brittany ended up making out, despite Brittany supposedly being with Sam. Blaine and Finn’s eyes met in that awkward bro code awareness that made them reluctant to be the one to tell Sam but knowing they owed it to him. Kurt’s poor boyfriend didn’t get any of the in jokes and must think they were all crazy. Blaine avoided drinking, not wanting to kiss anyone, or give anyone a piece of his mind because Santana had been drinking and was mouthing off and being verbally abusive in her own very special way.

Puck, Finn and he were the only ones not fighting for the mic, not that they were sung out but no one wanted to fight Rachel for the mic. The drunker she got the more she was insisting on solos or that everyone who wanted to sing, sing a duet with her. Finn and he had driven separately and offered to be designated drivers but most people were just planning to spend the night and there was talk of going for breakfast the next day.

It was late, Blaine was about to give up on rounding up anyone who needed to go home. He was in line for the first floor bathroom, as all of the bathrooms were currently in use, and Santana came up and cut in front of him. She’d been trash talking Sam all night and he got it that she was jealous of him and Brittany. She’d been her normal abusive self to Finn, despite his new job toning his body and him being in great shape. She still made dough boy comments and seemed weirdly obsessed with Finn’s nipples.

Blaine let the comments of Trouty Mouth, Hobbit and Frankenteen wash over him. Not that he believed that it was ‘just Santana’s way’ but she was drunk and would just start a fight if he called her on it. Then she started to get sexual, not just about him but she was commenting on Finn’s lack of prowess and how unsatisfying he’d been as a lover.

“And none of that was due to you being a bitter closeted dyke, right?” Blaine found himself saying and unable to stop it, “You’re not a bully, right Santana? Just because you attacked the virginal boy you used as a cover and then harassed him publicly on a daily bases because you were so filled with self-loathing. Just like Kurt can’t be a bigot for refusing to acknowledge bisexuality as a legitimate sexuality because he’s gay, you can’t be a bully because you’re a lesbian.”

“What the fuck, Hobbit,” Santana turned a confused look on him.

And Blaine knew he should shut up but he said, “Look real hard in the mirror Santana, the rest of the world isn’t made up of your high school friends. The rest of the world won’t just shrug off your vitriol as ‘that’s just Santana’. What you spew, its ugly, you’re ugly, you might want to do something about that before it’s all you are.”

He turned and left, figuring he could use the john at home. On the way out he picked up Tina and Sugar who wanted a ride home, and surprisingly Brittany. He actually went in with Sugar and used her facilities because he didn’t think he’d make it back to his house after he’d already dropped the others off. He wished Sugar and her very scary father Merry Christmas and headed home.

The next morning Finn’s truck was in the driveway. Blaine just used curl refiner and skipped shaving before going up to see if Finn was going to breakfast with the others. As he rode over with Finn he was updated on projectile vomiting in the Berry’s kitchen sink and the mortification of Marley when she woke up wedged between Ryder and Jake in just her underwear. At a red light Finn asked, “You don’t have any idea why Santana thinks you and I are sleeping together, do you?”

“She’s a head case? Since no one wants to be her friend unless she’s sleeping with them she thinks we must be because we’re friends?” Blaine offered.

Finn said, “Harsh, dude.”

“She was pretty harsh last night. I might have called her on it. Pointed out that her Bully Whip façade didn’t hide the fact that she was a bully any more than her harsh criticism of her male lovers hid that she was a dyke,” Blaine said.

Finn looked like he was thinking about that and after they were moving once the light changed said, “I think dyke is a slur.”

“I can call her that, I’m a fag,” Blaine said.

Finn looked mortified and said, “Dude!”

“Well, Brian Kinney gets away with it,” Blaine said.

Finn said, “I don’t even know who that is, but he shouldn’t talk like that.”

As they were crossing the parking lot to the restaurant, Blaine asked, “Where’s Puck?”

“Think he hooked up, he wasn’t ready to leave when I did,” Finn said.

Blaine asked, “Quinn?”

“Or Rachel, or both, or Rachel’s dads; I love the guy but even I can’t predict who he’ll jump on,” Finn said and opened the door and held it while waiting for Blaine to enter.

Blaine was still chuckling as he entered and looked around. Their group had multiple tables pushed together in the back, probably to keep the loud group from scaring the rest of the customers. As he and Finn crossed to them, Santana’s voice, experienced from shouting across football fields rang out, “so you have hooked up, maybe if the Hobbit tops, Frankenteen might last more than thirty seconds.”

“You’re such a cunt, Santana,” and that rather than Santana’s vulgar greeting silenced the table so Blaine continued, “Like chlamydia you’re the gift that keeps on giving. Not that we are, but if we were together, you would have just outed someone who stood by you and was a friend to you when you were at your worst. Guess I was spot on when I called you a bully. Nice to see you’ve embraced it as a lifestyle choice instead of trying to change.”

Finn had quietly taken the seat next to Mike and Blaine pointedly looked at the seat near Santana and then walked to the other end of the long table and sat with Sugar and Kitty.

“That’s a new look for you,” Kurt said, from a little ways down the table.

Since it was neutral, neither complimenting his disheveled appearance nor saying he didn’t like it Blaine just said, “Yes.”

“I like it,” Sugar said and tentatively touched his curls. “It makes you more approachable, softer. I know you have your own style, but I really like fashion so if you’re thinking of a change, to get ready for college we could work on something.”

Blaine chuckled and then thought that might not be bad and said, “yeah, maybe. But while Puck’s home you should talk to him. Coop was going to hook him up for someone to do headshots and he might want to consult you in the capacity of a stylist, you know. To decide what a look says about him and what he wants to present to casting.”

Both Kitty and Sugar bounced out of their seats and headed over to where Puck and Quinn were talking.

Surprisingly it was Mercedes that slid into the vacated seat and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“What do you mean?” Blaine said.

Mercedes said, “What you said to Santana wasn’t right.”

“And when you heard me say something you considered not right, something mean, you felt compelled to tell me. Because you’re her friend? Or maybe because it’s the right thing to do?” Blaine said.

Mercedes looked wary but nodded and well she should be wary, so Blaine said, “Maybe I just feel really guilty, because I never did that; did the right thing. I sat in class, in glee club and watched over and over last year as Santana ripped into one of us and I said nothing. I just shrugged it off. I thought that’s just Santana, what are you going to do? You did too as I recall. Tell me, if you had slept with Shane or Sam and one of them had said to you the stuff Santana said to Finn all last year, or last night at Rachel’s even, do you think we would have all sat there and just let it happen? And if we did, what would you think of us, or about the guy who was trash talking you?”

She didn’t offer an answer but looked thoughtful. Mercedes glanced guiltily at both Finn, who was listening intently to Quinn as she talked about Yale, and then Santana who was muttering asides to Brittany when she wasn’t glaring at Blaine.

Artie was the first to leave and reminded everyone that the audio would be online for sale by midnight that night. Blaine heard Rachel chattering away about WSS and this productions unusual casting. Considering she hadn’t seen anyone but him and Finn, Blaine figured she thought they were both cast against type. And then he wondered if she ever knew Finn as anything other than someone to support her desire for duets. Finn was catching up with Puck and Quinn and pretty much ignored the pointed comments she made in that stage voice that carried to the whole restaurant. Blaine moved over to Mike to ask about school and Tina joined them.

After, Finn dropped him home and Finn and Puck went to have dinner with the Hummels. Blaine wandered to his father’s study and lounged against the door frame watching the man work at his desk. Normally the door was shut when his parents traveled and the house seemed so empty. Rather than the kitchen, this room always seemed to be the heart of their home. His dad looked up and gave him a warm smile and nodded him in. Blaine wandered over to one of the vintage club chairs and took a seat.

They talked about the semester that just ended and how Blaine was doing in school. Blaine discussed his activities and how he was glad he decided to keep busy. His father had just realized he and Kurt broke up when he saw them at the concert. Blaine apologized and said he had thought he mentioned it to them in the summer. It surprised his dad that they had broken up less than two weeks after Kurt moved out to look for a job and get acclimated to the city.

Blaine told his dad about his early acceptance at Carnegie Mellon University. It wasn’t Ivy League but it was a well-known business school and his father was much more supportive of a double major with theater than he had been for Cooper; probably because if he washed up he’d have a business degree to fall back on. So they discussed the school and if Blaine were planning to visit campus before the orientation, Blaine said that he actually wanted to find an apartment before the school year started. His dad said he would go through his contacts to see if knew anyone that was associated with the school to see if he could find some recommendations. Blaine had learned long ago never to refuse such help, you could always disregard the information but why lose an advantage.

As the deadline for applications for fall semester of the school of drama approached Blaine remembered how Tina had applied for Mike and made a judgement call. So, he had filled out the online application for both Sam and Finn for CMU. It had a top notch drama and art departments and was a full university not a dedicated performance arts school or fine arts school which meant that if Finn was studying drama he could get a degree in something else to support himself. Sam may be able to swing a double in art and drama – even if his new SAT scores didn’t make the cut. Ms. P promised to contact the school to explain the situation regarding Sam’s retesting after his learning disability had been discovered. Blaine could easily see Finn or Sam playing some action star on TV or movies. So he submitted the application and since Finn was technically living on his own and supporting himself, Blaine filled out the financial aid requests. He certainly didn’t plan to live in the dorms and he could use a roommate or two. That meant they only needed to cover tuition and incidentals, like books and food.

It was an expensive school compared to state colleges and Blaine’s parents were just assuming it would be about one hundred thousand a year, but there was no way either Finn or Sam could manage that debt load so they needed grants not loans. It would all be depended on their acceptance; he’d applied in both their names to the University of Pittsburgh as well, but out of state tuition to the state school would make it nearly as expensive as Carnegie Mellon, although it should have easier admissions criteria, which was a concern. If either of them didn’t get in to CMU, they could go to Pitt and perhaps transfer to the more prestigious school before graduation. The campus of each were nearly side by side and they often shared classes in each other’s course selection so if you were unable to get into one at one school could take available seats in the other.

While it could be as late as April 15th before he heard their acceptance, the drama department at Carnegie Mellon had auditions to be admitted. Since Sam was looking into majoring in Art, Blaine planned to wait until he was in and then see if he could be admitted to the drama school the next term if that was what Sam wanted.

When they had been arranging to have the benefit recorded Blaine set up both to have the dress rehearsal of ‘West Side Story’ filmed and to have one live performance filmed by the AV club. Between the footage Lauren had recorded of Finn’s Junior and Senior show choir performances, the benefit and WSS, Artie was able to edit a show reel. Blaine sent the show reel as well as discs with the whole performances of each item on them and an index to tell where each snippet from the show reel could be watched in its entirety. He had Artie cut together show reels for all of them.

If they wanted a live audition Blaine would have to tell Finn what he did, but just then as he was confessing to his father what he’d done he started to feel guilty. And although he’d told Sam; Sam was doubtful he’d be accepted but grateful Blaine was aiming so high for him. Sam figured OSU Lima was a stretch for him. It was hard admitting that he had submitted financial aid requests on Finn’s behalf and saying it aloud to his dad gave Blaine a squirmy/guilty feeling. But he wasn’t planning to tell Finn unless either he got an acceptance or a request to audition.

Blaine felt the weight of his father’s gaze on him; saying it all now out loud it sounded, well creepy. Truth told he had only been trying to be a friend to Finn, just like he was with Sam, when he did it. The same as when he had talked over Finn’s growing frustration with the inertia in his life or tried to help him decide what he wanted to do next, it was what he would have wanted a friend to do for him. In fact Sam had done much the same for him when he felt lonely and missed Kurt. Although to be honest, Sam hadn’t expected a long distance relationship between them to last. Blaine respected Kurt more for making a clean break when he and Rachel had gone to New York than if he had kept him, like some kind of back up boyfriend until something better came along. That seemed to describe the second half of Finn’s senior year to Blaine.

But now that he heard his machinations into Finn’s academic future all spelled out like this it did sound borderline unhealthy. He said, “I realize how this sounds. And I may be too invested in Finn moving on with his life, after Rachel. I may be identifying too closely with him. It’s just that I really respect him. He’s one of the best men I know. And it has nothing to do with him being the tall, leading man type. He’s one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever met. I wish I was more like him. If you knew some of the stuff he’s been through and how he just accepts stuff, or rolls with things that would cut me down, well it’s impressive.”

“He’s still best friends with the guy who impregnated his girlfriend. And he’s still friends with her as well. And he’s friends with a teacher who blackmailed him and friends with me, his competition for solos his junior and senior year and Sam, his competition for quarterback his junior and senior year. And Kurt, don’t get me started about Kurt.”

And that was how he ended up with his dad pouring him a club soda to accompany his dad’s scotch and soda and basically filling his father in on the history of the New Directions. Blaine started at the beginning, prefacing Finn’s sophomore year with the caveat that he had pieced much of this together only after the older members of New Directions had graduated and occasionally spilled secrets that no longer seemed important to them.

He started with the story of the choir forming, passing on his oath of secrecy to his father on what Mr. Schue had done to Finn, and mentioning that Schue had asked for and received absolution from Finn as the end of Finn’s senior year. Blaine then explained babygate, who had known what, when and who had used the information and all the general backstabbing and three way tug of war between Quinn, Rachel and Kurt for Finn’s attention and affections.

Then he detailed Kurt’s rather juvenile and ham-handed pursuit of Finn. How he arranged meetings and opportunities to be assigned together and used the façade of friendship to gain Finn’s confidence and manipulated him into situations to break up with Quinn and sabotaged Rachel with a makeover. How Kurt wormed his way into Finn’s mom’s good graces and pushed their parents together in an orchestrated maneuver to have them live together and share a bedroom. How Finn’s inability to express his discomfort with the situation resulted in a slur and him being kicked out. How Finn was made to feel he had no right to say no, and was expected to subjugate his own discomfort and endure the forced intimacy to maintain his mother’s love. How Finn had no choice in the matter of becoming family with someone who had essentially stalked him and never acknowledged the inappropriateness of his behavior. And then Blaine qualified that while Finn and Kurt had achieved a measure of peace and familiarity that Kurt had never admitted to his machinations to their parents or that such behavior was wrong. And that was the reason Blaine had not taken Kurt back when his first flirtation after their break up had fizzled out and Kurt had called him feeling lonely.

His father was a really good listener and there was something freeing about talking to him. As good of friends as Sam and Tina were, they were too close to the issues for him to share such details and they knew Kurt so it would be put either of them in a bad situation to share his feelings on this with them. His dad, as outsider, had a detached perspective. He was a good sounding board and didn’t jump in with suggestions right away. This was probably why he and Finn were such friends. Finn was now removed from the drama of glee club and it was nice to have a friend who wasn’t immersed in the small but encompassing world of high school.

Then Blaine moved on to Finn’s junior year and the jockeying for social status that had Quinn and Santana both pulling Finn in different directions. And how Rachel’s blind ambitions often shelved Finn until he was needed or when a more convenient leading man could not be found.

He talked about Santana, after taking Finn’s virginity, almost immediately beginning a campaign to tear down his self-esteem. How vulgar and abusive she’d been and how after all that Finn not only forgave her, but understood why she’d done it. Even going so far as when Blaine had asked him about it to say ‘I’m six four, I can take a few hits. Better she lashed out at me than turn all that back on herself. We don’t want another Karofsky’.

Blaine was pretty adept at reading his dad. He thought he saw concern, perhaps that Blaine had a crush, which he told his dad he didn’t and mentioned he was currently crushing on Sam and that Sam knew and while he wasn’t capable of returning his feelings had said he found it flattering. That made his dad chuckle and Blaine could tell that Sam went up in his father’s estimation now as well.

So they digressed and Blaine admitted to helping Sam, and that due to the late discovery of a learning disability Sam was taking a makeup SAT that would let him respond verbally but he still might need to find a school where his low score wouldn’t matter as much. Blaine advised his dad that he had helped Sam, with his full knowledge, and applied to both Pitt and CMU as well as some art schools.

When the conversation drifted back to Finn, his dad asked if, contingent on Finn wanting to attend the schools Blaine had picked out for him, Blaine had a plan to convince him to make a commitment for the next four years of his life. Blaine mentioned that while there was a UPS distribution center in Pittsburgh and that Finn wanted to do something with his life but that lack of money was severely limiting his dreams. Even with his job, there was a limit to the number of hours he could work and still maintain his grades. Blaine asked if his dad knew any corporations that had private money available for tuition to look into it for both Sam and Finn. His parents liked Finn, more than they had Kurt and not just because he wasn’t sleeping with their son.

Kurt’s style, his love of designers and elegance came off to Blaine’s rather conservative parents as new money and rather ostentatious at that. Blaine was pretty sure his mom would have pegged Kurt for a gold digger if they had been just a little older when they met. As it was she thought he was terribly immature and vain. Whereas Finn and Sam had impressed both of Blaine’s parents as a hard working young men who valued the opportunities given to them.

His dad advised Blaine to sit down and discuss the plans for school with Finn and promised he would look into his corporate contacts and see if there was any private money available for an arts education for Finn or Sam. Blaine promised he would but thought he should wait until WSS closed. On the off chance that Finn got mad at him he didn’t want the show to suffer. And then he said based upon all the things Finn had forgiven in the past it was unlikely but that he would wait until February, unless someone needed Finn to audition before then.

Christmas was low key, and Cooper decided to stick around since opening night was the coming Friday. Blaine’s parents were coming opening night as well. Blaine’s decision to not apply for NYADA had made him for once the fair-haired son. Both his parents had been worried he would once again pick a school to follow Kurt. And apparently his father’s research into NYADA didn’t have it nearly as top-rated as Rachel and Kurt seemed to think it was.

Before Blaine knew it, it was opening night. It was the first time for the rest of the cast to be treated to Finn’s rather unique approach to preparing for a performance. Since except for their recent charitable performance all of Finn’s time in front of audiences was of a competitive nature he tended to treat going on stage much like going onto the football field. The show circle resembled a huddle and Finn’s pep talk reminded Blaine of last year’s Nationals. The cast looked confused but motivated when they took their places for the curtain to rise.

Blaine wasn’t sure if the Hummels were in the audience or if Rachel had headed back to New York yet, Finn mentioned Kurt was going back before New Year’s Eve. And while all the New Directions in town said they were going to come there was no telling what night they would be in the audience. There was a world of difference between the high school production and this one. While it wasn’t Broadway, it had better sets, costumes and props than most off-Broadway shows.

Finn really shined as Tony, the role’s limited dancing was well within his ability and he’d had far more time to rehearse and adapt the songs to show his voice in its best light than he’d had at any show choir competition. The first time Blaine had hear Finn do ‘Something’s Coming’ he knew the show was going to be a success. Finn’s physical presence lent credence that he had been the former leader of the Jets and his sweet smile and naturally sincere body language telegraphed the romantic young man torn between love and loyalty.

Blaine relished the chance to play a more dominant role than the nonthreatening gay man Sue Sylvester insisted on referring to him as. Finn and his friendship translated well into Riff and Tony’s scenes and Blaine danced the hell out of his solo.

By the time the curtain came down Blaine was regretting that they only had nine more performances scheduled. The energy was amazing and he now got how some performers could work with the same show for years. Backstage was much more professional than their concert. Costumes were logged in with the wardrobe master; they only had contact with the crowd once they removed their make-up, changed into their street clothes, and walked out of the secured area. Once they changed and started to leave there were actually people lingering to congratulate them on their performance and ask for autographs.

Rachel was there with her dad’s and Blaine didn’t hear everything she said because Tina and the current glee girls were there with his parents, Finn’s smile looked force. Finn must have turned down Rachel’s request to go out with her and her dads because once Mike and Artie showed up they all went out after the show with Maria and her friends from OSU.

January flew by. There were a couple pieces in the papers, not just Lima but Columbus, Toledo and Dayton on the show. The cast was approached to reprise the performance for a special Valentine’s Day show in Columbus at a larger venue. The local PBS wanted to record it to show on their next membership drive. Maria was reluctant because she really needed to focus on school but bowed to the rest of the cast since it was just one night.

Blaine’s parents would be in London for it, but he had talked to his father the last weekend of the play and updated him on the encore performance for PBS. His dad had called to be updated whether or not Blaine had talked to Finn and Blaine said that outside of the play their schedules rarely crossed but that he was currently exchanging texts with Finn to find time for a face-to-face, maybe over dinner since food would put him in a better mood. The reason his father had asked was he had found some friends who worked for corporations that frequently endowed the arts. He sent Blaine two links for applications. Contingent on Finn and Sam getting in, the first year costs would be covered by two separate corporations. One a major bank, located in Pittsburgh and one a New England insurance company, both grants were contingent on Finn majoring in theater and Sam majoring in art, although if either of them wanted to study something else there were no restrictions on what could be studied in addition to theater and art.

Blaine’s father was confident that provided they maintained their grades that the money could be found, either these or other corporate sponsors, for the three years that would follow this one. Blaine was overly grateful and his father after accepting his gratitude asked why this was so important to him.

Blaine faltered and said, “Sam’s my best friend. And I like that he treats me like one of the guys, he has been totally relaxed about me from day one, but I’ve been wondering since we talked if I over identified with Finn. If my feeling that his being left behind or just marginalized like he was a prop in someone else’s life was because I was projecting. But, no one cared. I saw this guy and he just seemed to be drowning in everyone’s low expectations of him. His mom and her husband, they just accept. Accept mediocrity for him as a way of life, and you know, you and Coop, you’re a lot to live up to, I get what it feels like to think ‘I’m good, but lots of people are good’ that maybe I’ll never be as good, you know. But you believe in me, even Coop, if I called would leave his ever present spotlight and support me. I just…” and he didn’t want his voice to crack because his dad was thousands of miles away and couldn’t do anything so he continued, “I appreciate that, I really do. I just think that  most people look at me and say ‘wow, you must be under a lot of pressure to succeed’, because they look at you and think you’re a lot to live up to, but Dad, the pressure to succeed, I’ll take it any day over the pressure to fail. The expectation that I shouldn’t try because I’m just not good enough, just not smart enough and because of you, and yeah even Coop, I’ve never had that pressure. And seeing what parents expecting mediocrity does to a man’s spirit, well, I just feel I should thank you for all the times you made me get back up and try again. And I want to do that for Finn.”

And it was his dad’s turn to be chocked up and pass the phone to his mother so they could exchange pleasantries. Blaine told her Sam had received acceptances from three art colleges and was waiting to hear on his long shot, CMU, before making his decision.

After he ended the call he texted Sam to come over and together they applied for the corporate sponsorship, and then played some ‘Guitar Hero’. After Sam went back to the Hummels, Blaine filled out the sponsorship application for Finn and firmed up dinner plans with Finn for the Friday before Valentine’s Day.

That Friday he detoured to the big supermarket with the ‘gourmet’ food section, which was just premade takeaway meals. He grabbed a nine by thirteen pan of lasagna that had the instructions to bake it. A round pan of chopped zucchini in a parmigiana garlic sauce, a bag of salad and a long loaf of bread would make a meal that should have some leftover and only involved him turning the oven on and timing it.

He grabbed a container of grated cheese and looked though the bakery for some kind of desert. He almost grabbed some tiramisu but remembered Finn wasn’t fond of coffee. He bought four large chocolate brownies with pecans and caramel drizzled over them and a container organic whole milk vanilla ice cream.

As his purchases were being rung up, the girl at the register asked, “Romantic dinner?”

“Wha?” And Blaine did a double take at his purchases and chuckled and said, “Anticipating someone is not going to be pleased with what I tell him and trying to avoid a confrontation by keeping him well fed.”

“I hate when that happens,” she said with a smirk

Blaine gave her a charming smile and carried his food out to the car. When he got home, the oven was turned on to preheat, the ice cream went in the freezer and everything else was left on the counter while he showered.

Once he came down he popped the lasagna into the oven and set the kitchen timers. One was set for when the lasagna was going to be done and the other for when the zucchini was to go into the oven with it. He set the table in the breakfast room, knowing that Finn would be more comfortable there than in the dining room. He plated the salad, taking time to try and make it visually appealing and put the salad plates along with dispensers of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table. He then got down larger plates for the lasagna and bowls for the desert. He put one brownie in each bowl, put the remaining two in a container and looked for the ice cream scoop so he could lay it out.

He had half a case of some obscure microbrew Cooper had bought so he placed a couple weizen glasses into the freeze to chill them.

He was barefoot, in old jeans and a tee shirt and could not look less like it was a date, but of course Finn’s first words were, “Oh, my God. Is this a date.”

“I look better when I go on dates,” Blaine said, not that he’d been out on a date lately. He’d hooked up once with a guy from the internet and it was enough to tell him he really wasn’t wired for casual sex.

He had just put the zucchini in and he took out the glasses and poured Finn a beer. He said, “It’ll be another fifteen minutes. Do you need anything?”

“No, thanks,” he said, “where’d you get the beer.”

“Cooper left it,” Blain said.

They chatted a bit about Finn’s day and Blaine sliced the bread and put the bread and butter on the table. They started on their salads and once the timer dinged, Blaine removed the lasagna and vegetables and set them on the counter. After they finished the salad, Blaine cleared the salad plates and brought Finn another beer. He divided the zucchini between the two plates and cut large enough portions of the lasagna to fill the rest of the plates and brought it to Finn.

They ate quietly for a bit and Finn said, “This is really good.”

“Yeah, Sam had some sort of PTSD episode or something with that whole calendar thing. If I never see plain chicken breast and steamed vegetables again it’ll be too soon,” Blaine said.

“Yeah, sometimes I want to stage an intervention or something and make him eat cake,” Finn said.

Blaine nodded and said, “I wish I looked half as good as he does. But you know, I think, that he thinks, his looks are all he has going for him. Even with how well received the benefit was. His SAT scores were low like record low – but at least that got them interested and now he’s getting help and his grades improved. He’s really talented. He just doesn’t realize it.”

“You ever thought of doing what Ms. P. does?” Finn asked.

Blaine looked up, “I assume you don’t mean compulsive cleaning.”

Finn smiled and shook his head and said, “You see potential in people, you’d be really good at helping kids figure out what to do with themselves, what their dreams are and how to reach them.”

“That… that actually plays into why I wanted to talk to you,” Blaine said. He’d planned to wait for desert and to use the power of chocolate to stay on Finn’s good side. “Remember when I first got pushy and you said that I wasn’t bad compared to… well, compared to all your ex-girlfriends?”

“Is this a date,” Finn asked.

Blaine rolled his eyes and said, “No. Focus. You know how I kind of strong armed you into applying for a job, and moving out of the house and then dragged you to audition.”

“You make that sound bad, but my place is nicer than my old room. I have privacy and don’t have to answer to anyone. I have a job that pays more than what I made working for Burt with less hours. And I had a blast playing Tony,” Finn said.

Blaine took a sip of beer. He had only consumed half a glass and wanted to keep a clear head but it gave him a way to stall. He finally said, “I’m glad you feel that way. Finn, I, or rather you, applied to college for the fall semester.”

“Really?” Finn said, “you… how? Maybe you should start at the beginning.”

Blaine said, “You’re really talented. You’re under no obligation. If you want to keep looking for what you want to do, but…you’re made to perform – not Broadway, that’s Rachel’s dream but Finn, the audience loves you; when you’re in front of a crowd, you just light up. You’ll have to audition but if you get accepted into the drama program, corporate sponsors will cover the cost of tuition and books. And just like if you got a football scholarship you can get a second major. You can use drama to pay the tuition and study anything else on the curricula that takes your fancy.”

Finn was quiet. He looked stunned and finally he said, “Where is this place?”

“Pittsburgh, actually the University of Pittsburgh is your back up school, you also applied there. And they have a drama department as well so the same corporate sponsor will count if you go there. But CMU has requested you set up an audition time, they wouldn’t do that if they weren’t planning to take you,” Blaine said.

Finn asked, “When?”

“We should probably set it before the end of the month. I have to audition too,” Blaine said. “It’ll be just like auditioning for West Side Story, singing and reading from a script, or we can do that scene we had together from the show.”

Finn said, “This is a good school isn’t it?”

“CMU is consistently rated in the top five drama schools in the country. Spock attended, and that guy from White Collar and half the cast of that old cop show,” Blaine said, “Personally, I think it’s better than NYADA but don’t tell Kurt you’ll never hear the end of it. They have a top film school. Unlike NYADA, the emphasis isn’t solely on stage work or musicals. Television, movies; think about it you could be famous, and even if you never bother to go to Hollywood, you could do it for the next four years and pay for your education, become anything or just do drama, whatever you want.”

Finn asked, “And this is what you’re doing?”

“I’m planning to double major, in drama and business,” Blaine said, “I love performing but I may end up managing. You said I’m good at helping people find what they want to do. I could make all this pushiness pay. I sign on a couple big stars like you and I can kick back and live off my ten percent and let you do all the work.”

Finn laughed and shook his head. He dug back into his lasagna and even ate his vegetables. They continued in companionable silence until he finished and Blaine said, “There’s more if you’re hungry. You want more, or I have desert?”

Finn opted for desert. Finn cleared the table as Blaine scooped ice cream onto the brownie. Finn filled two tumblers with water and carried them in as Blaine carried the desert.

As they finished them up Blaine said, “Say something. Have I crossed a line and become creepy and stalker-like? If it makes you feel any better I’ve also been managing Sam’s life.”

“Yeah, but Sam didn’t get a romantic dinner,” Finn said.

Blaine sputtered and then said, “Belt up, you and that cashier. It’s not romantic and if you keep this up, I’m not sending half the leftovers home with you.”

After the desert was finished Blaine finished his beer. And Finn said, “Should you be drinking? I know you get handsy.”

“You’re safe, Finn, now Sam, I make sure I don’t get drunk around,” Blaine said and at Finn’s surprised look Blaine said, “Oh, he knows. He was really cool about it, said he found it flattering but that he wasn’t interested.”

As they loaded the dishwasher and Blaine divided up the rest of the lasagna into two containers they each had another beer. Blaine said, “Listen, I figure since you haven’t mentioned getting a restraining order, you at least realize I didn’t mean for it to get this far before I told you. I just thought I’d send the applications and tell you, but then I didn’t want you to be disappointed and then we got caught up in the show and well, it spiraled. Just take some time and think about it. Picture where you’ll be in five years if you don’t go to school and ask if you’ll regret not trying it.”

Blaine sent Finn home with the letter from CMU requesting he set up an audition time and date and the lasagna. He finished his beer and went to bed because yes, he really was that much of a light weight.

A couple days later Finn texted him and then walked over from the garage. He had talked to his boss about his schedule and he and Blaine called to set their auditions during the same block so they could car pool the four and a half hour drive. Blaine asked lots of questions and took notes on what the school said it was looking for.

They then went into Blaine’s mother’s music room where the grand piano was. There was one wall with slotted storage holding nothing but sheet music. This was where both he and Cooper developed their love of performing.

“Have you ever heard of Karen Carpenter?” Blaine asked as he sorted through the music.

Finn blinked, “she had an eating disorder; my mom watched some movie and cried a lot.”

“Sad but true, and what’s really sad is that’s what so many people remember her for,” Blaine said. “She had this… amazing voice and she could just… touch your soul with it. It was like, while she sang; you felt she was the one person in all the world who understood you, anything about you, your fears, your dreams. She had an over four octave range but unlike the divas today she used it sparingly, she didn’t feel the need to show off her whole range in every song, or screech out the way some of them do just to prove she could hit all the notes. She mostly used the bottom of her range. In that register her voice was really distinctive and instantly recognizable.”

“I’ll look her up on YouTube, any particular songs I should listen to?” Finn said, had pulled out is phone and started searching.

“’Rainy Days and Mondays’, ‘A Song for You’ and ‘Goodbye to Love’, the accompaniments can be kind of dated, most of it’s from the 70s,” Blaine said. “The reason I want you to listen to her is because, while you don’t have her range you have something in common. When you sing in your upper register, you sound good, but it’s not distinctive. It sounds like lots of other good singers. That’s why I think for your audition, you should use your lower registrar. She had a song called ‘I Won’t Last a Day Without You’ and she did a version of ‘Desperado’ that I think either would work for you. Once you select a song, I’ll transpose it into your lower registrar and we’ll work on it. Finn, I know you’ll blow them away.”

They figured if given the chance to work together they would do Tony and Riff’s scene from WSS. But Blaine printed out Tom Wingfield’s monolog from Tennessee Williams ‘Glass Menagerie’ for Finn to learn in case they wanted him to read solo. It was a staple and probably overdone but Blaine thought Finn would really be able to deliver the young frustrated man who felt his life was going nowhere and was stifled by family obligations.

Finn apparently hadn’t told Burt and Carole about Blaine managing his life, or at least his college apps. Granted he only saw them once a week at ‘family’ dinner. But after the one which followed their Valentine’s Day performance in Columbus, Finn texted and asked if Blaine was busy or had time to talk. Finn came in and helped himself to two bottles of Cooper’s beer when he got back from that and said, “So, I didn’t mention over the holidays, because it was Burt’s private medical junk and I… well he didn’t break it to Kurt until he got home and I didn’t want stuff leaked. And then after that, it was just family but,” Finn hadn’t raised his eyes from the bottle he was currently drinking from as he peeled the label and he said, “Burt has cancer.”

“What?” Blaine said, “Is he… is it treatable?”

“Totally, they caught it way early and he’s been going through an aggressive treatment. His treatments started even before he told me and Kurt.” Finn said, “The thing is he just told me that he’s going into get his test result to see if it worked on the day of the auditions.”

Blaine sat down and said, “Well its short notice but I can call and tell them you have a family emergen-”

“No,” Finn cut in, “I told Mom and Burt I wouldn’t have scheduled it then if I had given me more than forty eight hours’ notice but Burt is the one insisting I go. He said my being there won’t change the results and… I actually think it impressed him that I had a shot at getting into this school. I told him I needed to be accepted to the drama department to get the grant. He’s really impressed with the grant. I didn’t mention all your help because he’d just…”

“Tell Kurt, who would think this was some vast plot to get him back,” Blaine ventured.

Finn said, “I was going to go with ‘think that we’re sexing’ but yours works,” Finn said.

“Sexing?” Blaine asked.

Finn said, “It’s a Puck word.”

“How is Puck,” Blaine asked.

Finn said, “Loving LA, loving having a little bro, and still working on his screenplay.”

“Cool, tell him I envision you as a future action star so he should start working on a vehicle suitable to launch you’re career in that genre,” Blaine said.

Finn stayed and finished a total of four bottles. They rehearsed both their audition pieces and gave each other feedback. After one more reading of their monologs they planned to leave early, at five, hoping to be past Columbus before the morning rush hour started.

They were three and a half hours into the trip to Pittsburgh. It was pretty monotonous driving, mostly interstate and only three or four points that they had to look for junctions along the way. So they had been singing along with some classic Motown hits from Blaine ipod.

Finn’s phone rang and he said, “It’s Kurt. That’s weird he never calls me. Hope he’s not looking to be picked up at the airport.”

Blaine turned the music off using the switch on the steering wheel, the heater was making enough ambient noise on its own that Finn really didn’t need to try and take a call over the music too.

“Hey Kurt, what’s up?” Finn said as he answered. Blaine kept the bulk of his attention on the road but side-eyed Finn to see he had his listening face with a dash of confusion on it. Finn finally said, “Well I would. But I’m not in Lima. I can see if-” and he stopped because obviously Kurt was talking and Blane could hear an indistinct chatter. “Kurt, I don’t know. I don’t live there. I only see Burt about once a week when I go for dinner. I haven’t lived in their house since… well late June.”

Finn paused again and then said, “I get that you’re worried, we’re all worried, but you have to trust him. Burt has a lot to live for and he’s really committed to beating this. Have faith.” And then there was another chatter and Finn cut in, “I didn’t say have faith in God; Jesus, dude. Have faith in Burt. You know if it is at all in his power he will not leave you. You know that, right?”

Blaine felt self-conscious. He really didn’t want to eavesdrop but couldn’t very well step out of a moving vehicle that he was driving. Burt and Carole had chosen not to tell anyone about Burt’s cancer until Kurt came home to visit over Christmas. Which was fine for them but being closed mouth really didn’t give either of their boys anyone to turn to regarding this. Finn liked Burt, respected him, and was grateful for how happy he made his mom. But Finn wasn’t Burt’s son and although they tried to make a family he would only ever be Burt’s friend. Privately, Blaine thought Finn was a pretty good friend to have and that Burt and Finn might have formed a closer bond if Kurt hadn’t driven a wedge between them. Kurt had owned up to his jealous over Burt and Finn’s common interest but his not owning up to his crush and how it had made him act put a large homophobic barrier between them. That was sad because Blaine thought Finn could have given Burt pointers on acceptance and how to treat a gay man like, well, a man.

Over the winter break, according to Tina’s rumor network, Kurt was convinced that Blaine had been so standoffish because he still had feelings for Kurt and regretted their break up. Personally Blaine felt like he had dodged a bullet. Blaine could have ended up with Kurt, either because he hated to fail at anything, including relationships, or because they had so much time invested already that Blaine might have chosen to salvage them instead of scraping them. Blaine felt he’d had his eyes open and now looked at many of his and Kurt’s spats and differences in a new light. Kurt, like many other people, tended to cast himself in the most favorable manner. But once Kurt matured past a mistake he preferred to disavow it as if it never happened instead of owning to his culpability and making amends.

For instance while he accurately claimed to be the victim of bullying, Kurt neglected to point out that it wasn’t always to do with his sexuality or that he often had started it or escalated it by saying something scathing. Life was not an internet blog and Kurt had a habit of trolling people in regard to their fashion and grooming choices. Puck, although Finn pointed out that Puck was not always a reliable source, had actually congratulated Blaine on the split and said he always knew he could do better. One night while Puck was visiting Finn that winter and they were over at Finn’s apartment watching a game Blaine asked Puck what he meant by better than Kurt. He hadn’t pegged Puck for being as cool as Sam with sexuality so had made sure he was across the room from Puck and that Finn was in the bathroom when he asked. Puck hadn’t even turned away from the commercial when he said, “You’re a regular guy, like Finn. You’re not a bitch, sure if someone attacks you, you’ll hit back but you don’t go poking people. Hummel’s an agitator, he used to look down his nose at us, waive daddy’s money around with his car and weird ass clothes, hell we were dumpstering him long before we knew he was gay.”

Blaine actually considered Puck’s pronouncement that he was a regular guy a badge of honor. It was certainly more welcome than Sue Sylvester’s assessment of him as nonthreatening. One night after they had rehearsed for the benefit, Puck took them to a little dive bar where he could get them served. So they played darts over a couple orders of wings and pitchers of beer. Blaine wondered if Puck forgot he was gay until Puck leaned in and whispered in his ear. The fact that Puck wanted Blaine to hit on some random middle aged straight guy so Puck could make a play for the guy’s slightly younger date was kind of hilarious. Puck’s strategy consisted of Finn and Sam being there to back Blaine up if the guy took offence. Blaine had pulled back, looked Puck in the eye and asked, ‘what if he doesn’t take offence? I’m not fucking him just so you can get her number.’ From Puck’s look it never occurred to him that the guy might take Blaine up on the offer. Sam had loyally pointed out that Blaine was much better looking than the guy’s date. Finn, ever the wingman, had asked the guy to play pool and lost to him while Puck made time with his wife; yes, wife. Puckerman.

“Kurt,” Finn said, “Mom’ll tell you anything she knows. Seriously, you think I have a chance of understanding it better than her?” There was more relentless chatter and then Finn said, “I can -” he waited again and said, “Because I work, and they both work. Burt’s going into the shop when he feels up to it. My shifts are late and into the wee hours. I’m lucky to see them once a week.” He stopped and then said, “It’s not that I don’t care, no one told me. They could have texted me, I would have been there if they told me when it was. There is just nothing I can do.” He stopped again, sighing and looked over at Blaine. Covering the mic of the phone he said, “It’s like talking to a wall.”

“Listen Kurt, the city is coming up and I’ll need to pull up shit on my phone to find the campus, I’ll call you-” and he was cut off again. Finn waited and then said, “No. You go to classes, you go to work and you live your life; so do Burt and Mom and me. I can’t drop everything and go over and sit and stare at him. He wouldn’t want me to. Mom will call me when they know something. Kurt you’ve obviously been aware of this meeting before me, long enough to arrange a flight, for some reason they didn’t tell me. I would have scheduled around it but I can’t blow this off. I have to go Kurt.” But he didn’t hang up he listened and then said, “Don’t cry. I know you’re worried but fussing at him won’t help anything. Burt says one day at a time, that’s all he can deal with. He looks good. Listen, I won’t be back in Lima until tomorrow night at the earliest, call me with the results? And when I do see him I’ll call you and report on his color and his vitality or whatever, but I am not asking him about bowel movements man, we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

Finn was finally able to end the call and while he loaded the campus address in the GPS he said, “He’s freaking out. Like Ms. P. in a messy room level of freaking out.”

“How are you doing?” Blaine asked.

Finn looked confused, “I’m fine.”

“You must be frustrated, like you said, there’s nothing you can do and you must not only be worried about Burt but your mom as well.”

Finn shrugged and said, “I figure, give it up to God. I mean, I’m not Joe or Quinn or Mercedes or Sam, but I believe there is something bigger than us and for things like this, or, well, being struck by lightning – and if you were as tall as me you would realize that’s a legit concern – well, there’s nothing in my power so give the worry up to the higher power, you know?”

“That’s…” Blaine said, “Profound.”

The GPS started ordering them around. Now that they were close it seemed to take forever to get there. They pulled up to campus and then pulled up the website of the school and found a map and the hall that their auditions would be the next day. They parked in a visitor’s lot and wandered around campus. They slipped into the audition hall but there were people waiting there to audition so they couldn’t go in to the auditorium. Blaine checked the times but the hall closed at the same time the auditions were over so there was no hope of sneaking in and getting a feel for the space or to do a run through of the song, well songs, for their auditions.

They stopped at an administration building and took photos for student IDs and got a list of orientation days they could come stay in the dorms and get tours of the campus. Blaine didn’t want to set one yet until they heard the results of their auditions but Finn asked if they could move the date and said they should book one that didn’t interfere with Blaine’s show choir schedule. So the booked three spots, hoping that by then they would know if Sam was coming as well.

Blaine picked up a course schedule and deadlines for summer classes. There were fifteen week trimesters, set up in fall, winter and summer and the summer session also had two compressed options that had the class five days a week condensed into six weeks instead of the fifteen each trimester covered. If they ended up moving right after graduation, Blaine thought each of them might get a core class or two out of the way over the summer so that they would have more time for the drama classes during the bulk of the school year. Blaine figured he might need summer session to complete the additional work for both degrees.

Finn had already talked to his boss and they could transfer him to the Pittsburgh distribution center if he got into school here. He had been recently promoted to a sorter. Because he had memorized some complex way that the packages were labeled he could work at a computer terminal, shunting them off with clicks on the keyboard. It paid more and was less labor intensive so Finn would have to make more time to work out or he would lose all the muscle he had built up moving freight.

They had lunch near campus and chatted with the waitress who was a student at the University of Pittsburgh about available housing and the various condos and apartment complexes in the area. She seemed to think they were divided into utter crap or really expensive. Blaine had a feeling that the one they had an appointment to see was in the really expensive category. His mom had picked it out online. It was about a block from the sorority quadrangle so almost on campus, had high ceilings, three bedrooms and two and a half bath, a fireplace, underground parking and an onsite laundry and gym. Needless to say it was a secure building with a valet to accept packages and let in repairmen. Apparently she had already had someone stop by and check it out and if Blaine gave the okay, it would have the old carpet striped; hardwood installed along with a kitchen upgrade and it would be repainted. They would be allowed to decorate it themselves but he had to swear to his mother he would not go to Ikea.

Thankfully the agent would just walk them through and not tell Finn that his parents were dropping around two hundred thousand dollars to make sure he had a safe place near campus. The building wasn’t new; it had probably been built in the 80s. The building’s common areas had been redecorated, but the existing condo, the only one available at that location, looked not to have been touched since it was built.

“This is bigger than my house, well the one I grew up in,” Finn said.

The agent said, “Almost three thousand square feet.”

It was light and aside from the hideous paint colors and old carpet had an airy feel. There were sliding glass doors out on to a third floor balcony. His mother would have some sort of bolt installed, Blaine was sure. The balcony was quite spacious, room for seating and a grill.

Two of the bedrooms were connected by a bath and the larger bedroom had its own master bath. There was a half bath on one side of the entrance, a rather spacious storage closet on the other side.

The common area was a great room that the kitchen island started and a connecting dining area and living room/lounge area. The lounge was easily large enough for a piano, if not a baby grand. That open area was shaped like a backwards L, the bottom hooking into the space that the side with one bedroom had space left for a separate lounge. That was a more private den or office-like area that a room divider might make more secluded to use for study if there were people in the great room.

“What color would you paint it,” Blaine asked, as they wandered around.

“Yellow?” Finn said, “But light yellow, not really bright.”

“Dark or light wood on the floor?” Blaine asked as they crossed the great room to go out on to the balcony.

Finn said, “Dark, floors should be ground and the ground’s brown.”

“Okay,” Blaine said.

The agent had made herself scares and Finn hissed, “Dude, I can’t afford this, and I’ve saved up a lot of money since July.”

“Dude,” Blaine said back, “My parents want me to live here. This will take the weight off their minds; it will relax them so they know I’m safe. And in four or five years they’ll sell it for double or triple what they paid. This is how rich people do it, why spend money when you can make money. I don’t want to live in this huge place all alone. I do enough of that at home. There’s plenty of room for Sam if he comes to school here or at Pitt, and you know Puck’s going to visit. The two of you are weirdly co-depended heterosexual life partners, and we’re right next to the sororities, so Puckerman’s inevitable.”

So Blaine texted his mom that they loved the condo, but that he saw what she meant by the décor. He sent the request for pale yellow walls, and dark flooring, although he requested they use something renewable like stained bamboo or cork. Blaine also asked the agent for measurements of each room to be emailed to him. Once his dad closed the deal and the upgrades his mom wanted were finished, he might shop for furniture in their largely unused home. He was certain they had enough beds in guest rooms to take care of all three rooms and surely if he looked he could find chairs and sofa, a table or two. He wouldn’t take his mother’s grand but he there was baby grand in the family room that just might fit. His mother would take it as a compliment that he wanted the pieces she picked, and love shopping to fill in any holes he left.

Sam was leaning toward the Pratt Institute in New York, but CMU had an impressive art program; and would have the added benefit of rooming in the condo if he could get in. Ms. Montague the special education teacher had arranged to have Sam’s second SATs taken verbally. And both she and Ms. Pillsbury were in talks with CMU about Sam being special needs. The offer for corporate sponsorship was really helping with both schools, not that Sam wasn’t really talented, but having funding put him a head of those that didn’t.

Once they left the condo it was late enough in the day to check into their hotel. Finn had insisted on getting the hotel and had just booked a room at the Hilton within walking distance of campus. That was good because they could just park the car there for the rest of their visit. It was clean, comfortable and came with a business breakfast buffet. The room was a typical two queen set up. After they ditched their bags they went out to walk around the streets of Pitt and CMU campuses which were sprawled and intermingled with the bustling Pittsburgh neighbor of Oakland.

They met a couple girls on roller-skates, despite the weather, who showed them around, often clutching onto Finn or Blaine to keep from falling. They both went to Pitt but had eclectic and often far-fetched knowledge of both schools and some local historic color thrown in. They were both in a sorority and signed them into Pitt’s Amos hall. Blaine mentioned they were looking at a place near the sorority quad at CMU. Apparently they had a sister organization there and often had social events and fundraisers together.

They sat in the living room of the sororities’ floor, chatting as girls came and went. They were invited to no less than three parties the following night and Finn was looking like he was thinking of extending his stay. The girls certainly appreciated the UPS fitness routine. While their new friends had gone off to change out of their skates the president came in and introduced herself and made poised small talk about their college plans. She kind of reminded Blaine of Quinn, and it was only after he mentioned being a cheerleader that she warmed up. She had competed as well and had come in second to the Cheerios four years ago. She was attending Pitt on a cheerleading scholarship and was impressed that Finn was talented enough to have a sponsor for his education. Blaine was tempted to throw himself between Finn and her to protect him from Quinn 2.0 but then he spotted a large engagement ring on her finger and figured Finn was a big boy.

So a half hour later they left the dorm with six sorority girls who dragged them to the Pitt cafeteria. It wasn’t five star but had abundant amounts of a variety of food. Blaine wasn’t sure if they wanted to give the rookies pointers or if they wanted to climb Finn like a tree. Blaine had lost track of how often he’d said, ‘I’m gay’ but still found an occasional hand on his thigh.

After dinner they were dragged across Forbes Avenue to a lecture hall for a movie. It was something Blaine had never heard of called ‘The End of Love’. Thanks to Sam, Blaine was usually well abreast of what was coming out and all the fan chatter. This was about a guy and his kid after the kid’s mom died. The girls were crying and well, Finn was crying. Blaine was wondering if it was an older movie that had been in theaters months or years ago, because they were only changed two bucks, but that was because they were passing as Pitt students.

After the movie they went to a little dive for fries with awful cheese sauce that they could not stop eating. Blaine was pondering if there were any Emily Post recommendations on cockblocking straight guys you were sharing a hotel room with, since he didn’t really want to be sexiled but Finn looked like he could have his pick of their new friends. Finn made it a moot point by stretching and giving them a winning smile before saying, “Thank you for making us so welcome, it’s been great to meet you but we have an early call for auditions tomorrow.”

After hugs and exchanging contact information so they could text them after their auditions to say how they went and maybe meet up for food, Finn and he headed down the block to their hotel.

“I’m really nervous about tomorrow,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “More than before Nationals? More than before the benefit or during the PBS taping? More than before playing and winning the State Championship? Finn, you thrive under those conditions, that’s when you’re at your best. You’re going to blow them away. I just wish I could watch you. I think the waiting to go on is what’s going to kill me. At least in show choir we can watch the other groups perform.”

Blaine set both the alarms that came with the room and a small travel alarm he brought and the alarm on his phone. At Finn’s funny look he said, “Don’t laugh, but I woke up this morning with my heart nearly pounding out go my chest. I was convinced I slept through the audition.”

They left the light on in the bathroom and the door to it cracked ajar so if either of them got up in the night they wouldn’t kill themselves. They both woke up at least a half hour before the alarms. Finn went to hit the weight room to work off his nervous energy and Blaine devoted his to grooming. His hair was in what Sam often referred to as a protective helmet and by the time Finn came back to shower he had put on a bow tie and was just sliding into a non-Dalton blazer.

Finn came out of the bathroom in a towel slung low on his hips and he was ripped. Blaine was suddenly aware he was looking and glanced away and then he felt Finn’s eyes on him and turned to ask, “What?”

“You. It’s like you’re a knight going to battle and suiting up in your armor,” Finn said with a dipping his head in acknowledgement.

Blaine laughed and said, “Sam calls it helmet head.”

“Well you like clubs, maybe CMU has some kind of ‘hair gel moderation society’ and if it doesn’t you could found one,” Finn said, “You can head down to the buffet, I’ll only be a minute. Maybe find us some seats.”

Blaine had fruit and tea and had found them a table out of the rush that was directed at the omelet station. Finn slid in across from him with two full plates. Finn was wearing dress slacks and a dark red designer sweater that screamed Kurt. Not that it was avant-garde but it looked like it came from Vogue’s vault. It was obviously expensive and hugged Finn in all the right places. It was actually looked to be silk in a fine textured weave.

“You look… if you audition for a woman she’s going to want to have your babies,” Blaine said.

Finn laughed and said, “Thanks, but that’s not actually how it works.”

“Finn, in the real, real world – not McKinley – when there isn’t crazy Quinn and crazier Santana and the Queen Bee of Crazy Town, the ever popular Miss. Rachel Berry, circling like sharks ready to rain down on everyone, guys like you spend the majority of their time beating girls off with a stick,” Blaine said.

Finn blushed and said, “What do you mean, guys like me.”

“Leading men? Tall, handsome, talented, the only thing you have to worry about is you’ll turn into an egotistical asshole because of it, kind of like Cooper,” Blaine said.

Finn said, “Aw, don’t be that way. I like Coop. I always wanted a brother – I mean, I have one now with Kurt but you know, growing up, an older brother would have been cool.”

Blaine shrugged and said, “Yeah, sometimes. Until he got bored and picking on me was a form of entertainment. And he always won; it used to drive me crazy.”

They finished up, took inventory that they had their key cards, copies of sheet music and their scripts; and lifesavers, because yeah, butterscotch lifesavers were a necessity. Bundled up they walked down to campus. They lined up in the order that they signed in and end up lounging around in the corridor and the longer they sat in the hall outside the audition venue the more it looked familiar. Finally, Blaine asked, “Is it me or was this building in ‘Flashdance’?”

“I’ve never seen ‘Flashdance’,” Finn said, causing at least six people waiting to gasp sharply as if he had just blasphemed.

Finn checked the status of his mom, Burt and Kurt on Facebook. Kurt’s said, ‘waiting for test results’, and Finn held the phone out for Blaine to see. Blaine thought that was pretty vague and made it sound like Kurt was the one with cancer, or an STD.

Finn updated his own wall with a status of ‘waiting to audition’ and got a ‘good luck bro’ from Sam, Mike, Artie and Puck in the next minute and Blaine used his own phone to add a thumbs up emojicon.

Carole added ‘good luck, honey.’

Rachel chimed in with a ‘What show is the community theater doing now?’

Finn replied, ‘I don’t know it’s probably on their website.’

‘What are you auditioning for?’ came back from Rachel

Finn responded rolling his eyes and typed, ‘school.’

‘Where?’ she asked

Finn typed in ‘Pittsburgh’

‘Oh, well, that’s nice,’ was her last comment.

But Santana chimed in next with, ‘ru using the right word? Y r u auditioning for school? Not testing?’

‘Drama department, you have to audition and be chosen,’ Finn replied.

Puck posted, ‘Knock em dead, just like WSS. Meet any college honeys?’

‘Had dinner with a group of TriDelts, looked at a place near the sorority housing. Smart chicks are hot!’ Finn answered. This was almost instantly liked by Sam, Mike, Puck, Artie, Ryder, Jake and oddly Quinn. Blaine chuckled and briefly envisioned life with a straight boy, or boys and an endless parade of sorority girls in their place. Well the girls had been nice and certainly friendly.

After a while as they moved down the hall closer and closer to the double doors they practice their monologs for each other and Blaine gave Finn another pep talk. Finn said, “You’re really good at that. You really give me confidence.”

“Well,” Blaine said, “you’re the quarterback, you lead. I’m the head cheerleader; I push you into the position to lead.”

Finn threw back his head and laughed and said, “Oh my God, we’re a power couple.”

“Sorry, Dude,” Blaine said, “Sam and I already have our own portmanteau. How could Flaine or Binn possibly compete with Blam?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Finn said.

If nothing else the silly conversation distracted them from the wait because before he knew it Finn was going through the door. Blaine could only hear indistinct murmurs, even the music was muffled. Finn would be leaving by another door as none of the candidates had come back this way. They agreed to meet next door in the library since it was too cold to hang around outside. Now that Finn was in there Blaine wanted to pace and fret. He checked his Facebook and Finn’s, and then Carole’s, there was no news on Burt.

And then it was his turn. It really did look like the audition room from ‘Flashdance’. There were five people sitting at the table, which immediately made Blaine rank it above NYADA. He didn’t think it was healthy to have one person be the ‘be all and end all’ in decision making as far as attendance. Surprisingly his monolog and song were only a small part of the audition. He was quizzed about his experience and questioned about his academic plans. He almost panicked, not because he was unprepared but he and Finn hadn’t rehearsed any of these questions and he hoped it hadn’t thrown Finn off. He only paid partial attention to his replies, tying his desire to take business classes as well as drama, not to parental expectations, or as a fall back career option, but to understanding the backend of the industry and his love of discovering and nurturing new talent.

Before he knew it he was going down a narrow back staircase and emerging out into the cold damp air. He circled to the entrance of the library and must have looked shocked because Finn grabbed his arm and hauled to the back corner, pushed open a door and he found himself sitting a plastic chair of a small room lined with vending machines. Finn set a cola down in front of him and then reached over and opened and said, “Drink, you need caffeine and sugar you look bad.”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, and just stared at the can. “I mean, wow. I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting all the questions. That was just…”

“Drink,” Finn said. As Blaine took a sip, Finn said, “Okay. Yeah the questions were unexpected, but… It wasn’t like a quiz. It was just stuff about me, so no wrong answers; right? I was okay with them, they smiled. I may have talked too much but, hey, I told the truth you know. I love performing. And they smiled so that’s a good sign.”

“Any news on Burt?” Blaine asked.

Finn smiled, “Mom called, she said it’s all good.”

“That’s wonderful,” Blaine said, the pop made him feel better but he wondered if maybe he had low blood sugar. All he had had was tea and fruit. “You hungry? I’m starved.”

At one of the library personnel’s recommendations they walked a couple blocs to a little café known for baking meatloaf into oven roasted bread and adding peppers and fried eggs and barbeque sauce. Finn thought that sounded awesome, Blaine was dubious. She assured them that there was a large menu of salads, soups and sandwiches but that this was what they were known for and it was worth the trip.

As they walked to the café Finn texted their new friends where they were going for lunch if anyone wanted to join them, he almost immediately got three replies. Two were in class and one had just rolled out of bed but asked how the auditions had gone. Over lunch they decided since it was already past the checkout time in the hotel, they would stay another night and leave early in the morning the next day. When their sleepy friend texted them to ask if they would come out with them to a party that night they accepted.

“You’re the one missing school,” Finn said, “you sure?”

“Yeah, college party,” Blaine said, “may as well see what it’s all about, right?”

“Just remember you’re a light weight,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “Don’t worry, those girls are handsy, I’m watching what I drink. Talk about your awkward morning after.”

So they went back to the room and took a nap and then met their six friends, plus two more in the lobby of their dorm at nine o’clock and walked over to CMU’s sorority quad to the Delta Delta Delta house there. They were introduced and given hot chocolate, while coats and scarves and hats were located, exchanged and there was general chaos of many girls getting ready for a night out. Finally all of them walked around a corner and up a street to a fraternity house. This was a completely different type of chaos. Puck would have been in his element.

There was beer and punch of a dubious nature, purple and really sweet. Blaine could tell at the first taste it was strong enough to strip paint and opted for beer. Within a half an hour he was in a conversation with a music major who had an accent similar to Sam’s. She was a piano student and was studying composition. Blaine could tell he wouldn’t be much for frat parties when he came here, but once the other brothers realized they were pre-fresh they seemed intent on recruiting Finn. Apparently they took intramural football quite seriously.

Hours later, Finn plopped down next to him and said, “You’re sober, right?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to drive, but I’m not going to kiss any girls,” Blaine said.

Finn processed that and said, “I kind of feel bad, because you’re going to be doing all the driving tomorrow and I’m probably going to sleep, maybe in the back seat.”

“That’s fine,” Blaine said with a chuckle, “I have my tunes. Just don’t pass out here; no way can I move you.”

Finn said, “We should probably get back to the hotel. I know you packed when we changed but, we left really early the other day.”

“One of the girls said that since we’re going out of the city, we don’t have to leave at five, rush hour traffic is all coming in,” Blaine said, “so we can sleep until eightish, have the buffet and probably be home before one.”

“Cool, I can nap before work,” Finn said.

After they said goodbye, once the cold air hit them they both had clearer heads. Blaine set the alarm on his phone on the walk back and they were up and out on schedule the next morning. Finn didn’t make it out to the city before he was conked out in the passenger seat. When Blaine stopped for gas, Finn offered to pay, to which Blaine responded that he didn’t pay for his own gas so Finn should just grab them some hot chocolates.

Finn stayed awake after that and they talked about the school and what they saw. Finn asked about the overnight visit in the dorms and Blaine admitted it didn’t sound too cool. He wouldn’t mind tours of the campus, but since they wouldn’t be staying in the dorm it sounded weird. If their condo was ready by then he suggested they stay there and maybe just go on the tours and meet the faculty.

 


	4. College

 

The next couple months flew by what with all the drama of glee club and their competitions. His parents were there for Regionals and Blaine and his mother chatted about him taking a piano and some other furniture. He’d downloaded ‘SketchUp’ and made a scale model of the condo. He wanted two queen beds, and there bedside tables and dressers and writing desks from two of the guest rooms and all the furniture from Finn’s apartment, including the television.

Together he and his mother moved it around like an electronic doll house. She also suggested a duel shelving systems to flank the fireplace, a period dinning suite she had got at the same estate sale she’d furnished Finn’s apartment from, currently in their attic and a desk from the library for the study. She also had a couch with a shelving unit which had a full sized bed in it, for the study in case they had visitors, which Blaine suspected, was special ordered just for them. She pointed out he hadn’t furnished their balcony patio and suggested the table and chairs from the pool house and the gas grill out there. Blaine accepted, contingent on the measurements working out. He also took a second recliner, another desk and set of shelves for his master suite for when he wanted to relax away from everyone.

Carnegie Mellon had accepted Sam, despite his SATs, under a special needs exception and because an alumnus had stopped in at Ms. Pillsbury’s request and reviewed his art work. The admissions of the art school valued that woman’s opinion as she worked as an art critic an on her recommendation even though Sam’s SAT scores were below what they usually accepted, even after he retook them, he was placed in their fine arts program.

Finn received his acceptance into the drama school a week ahead of Blaine. Blaine sweated it a bit, but knew he was had already been accepted at the business program. But he did get accepted at both. Even going summers, Blaine wasn’t sure he could complete both programs in four years, he was going to try, but if it took five it would just take five. By his calculations if he started the business school that summer and took at least full credits every summer, by the end of his senior year he would have six full years of college classes. Surely it wouldn’t take more than that.

He knew the college workload would be even harder for Sam and Finn. They were talented, but neither had been taught how to be a good student. So Blaine started to research all the websites, services and assistance available to help with that. Their schedules should keep them all running in different directions most of the time, but he was going to try to get them to agree to at least a night a week to study together and keep each other abreast of how they were doing and what they needed help with. Food should work for corralling Finn, but Sam watched his diet so closely Blaine wondered what he could bribe him with.

Sam was down since Brittney and he broke up. Blaine wanted to help but it translated into managing Sam’s life and after his talk with his dad he was monitoring just how creepy he got with his straight friends. Sam was looking forward to spending some time with his family. He was heading to Kentucky after graduation for four weeks. After that, Sam would catch a Greyhound to Pittsburgh. His parents were going to ship what couldn’t fit in a suitcase and carry on and Blaine would pick him up at the station. Their unit came with three parking spaces, one for each bedroom, so if Sam had a car he could bring it, but Sam didn’t want the expense while he was in school.

Blaine, because he was enrolled in the summer session, had to leave immediately after he completed his last final. He drove his personal belonging, but his parents had a moving company take everything else. He and Finn were going separately because Finn was taking his truck to Pittsburgh; before that though he was going to visit Puck. Finn was taking some vacation between leaving his job in Lima and the one he transferred to in Pittsburgh. He was flying to LA to visit Puck and then coming back to Lima to get his truck and drive to Pittsburgh. Since all the furniture would be moved from Finn’s apartment over the garage, Finn was packing up his truck before he left for Puck’s and leaving it at his mom’s. The mover’s should have had everything arranged per the numbered diagrams Blaine had printed out, but he anticipated he and Finn would have to adjust things when they got there.

Blaine was taking more than the standard units for the summer session. It was all business classes, all of the first term and two of the second term classes, plus a required computer orientation class; he was saving his ‘breath’ slots to use for drama and needed to talk with his advisor on how to incorporate a degree from both schools. He’d be starting the drama school the same time as Finn, but he figured he’d best get cracking if he intended to succeed at both.

Once his last test was over at McKinley, Blaine was leaving. His parents were concerned that he would miss the ceremony, but classes for summer session started so he had to skip it and the parties. The glee club had given him a surprise grad party in the choir room on his last day. Blaine planned to ship his gifts to Tina and Sam and his other senior friends and sent thank you notes to everyone in glee club.

His mother and father were quite touched by the handwritten letter Finn had sent them, thanking them for letting him be their groundskeeper and for all the help with obtaining financing for his schooling. Finn didn’t have the best handwriting, but his mother was kind of old world and appreciated it much more than a clearly typed email or even printed letter.

Finn had picked the bedroom nearest the kitchen, so Blaine unloaded Sam’s stuff, the stuff he hadn’t taken back to Kentucky, into the other one. He was taking the master, Sam and Finn had both insisted. He stashed his bike, helmet and bike rack for his car in the big closet by the entrance. Blaine wandered around the condo. His mother had even had someone in to tune the piano after the move. She’d added some geometric area rugs to his layout, but for the most part everything was as he intended. The walls were bare but with an artist in the house that shouldn’t last long. Blaine set up the wireless router, put away his clothes and linens. And then went out to buy books as his classes would start in two days. He picked up lunch at a noodle place on the way back, and ate it on the patio. He put his books on the bookshelf in the study and went to work out in the gym.

He met a pair of their neighbors, a gay couple, one of whom taught at CMU. Blaine doubted that with theater and business he would have time for something like ‘gay studies’ but nodded attentively and was given tips by the partner on clubs and bars in the area. He thanked them and told them what he really needed was a grocery store and dry cleaner. He received all that and more and ended up going back to their place for green tea and vegan cookies. Yeah, well they were nice anyway.

The next day he drove over to Whole Foods and stocked up on everything. Between Sam’s body issues and Finn’s willingness to eat literally anything they were all in danger of malnutrition. Sugar had gotten him a crockpot with a cookbook on how to use it as a graduation gift. She and the girls seemed to think him, Finn and Sam living together was a comedic goldmine, or a remake of ‘Three Men and a Baby’. Still it was a nice thought and he was sure they would all appreciate it when they came home from class on a cold blustery day to homemade soup or something.

The campus wasn’t nearly as busy in the summer session as it had been when he and Finn visited. They had moved their tour dates and since they lived in walking distance had opted out of staying at the dorms for orientation. The three of them were going on a Thursday right after Sam arrived. Blaine stopped in to get information about enrolling in the summer’s compressed term. The next would be six weeks starting in July and figured Sam and Finn could take one of their distribution classes together to get it out of the way and ease their way into how demanding a college class was. He stopped into the business school’s administration office and asked if he had an advisor assigned to him and if he should make an appointment. They seemed impressed that he was being proactive and surprised that a first term freshman had a full course load for the summer session.

He spoke with a Ms. Weal who may or may not be his business advisor, because they hadn’t been assigned yet. He outlined his goals for her, detailed his concerns and waited for advice. She seemed to think it would be impossible to major in both business and drama. Blaine asked if he went summers if it would make a difference. She kept pointing out that there really was no overlap in the courses. He asked her to look into seeing if any of the classes in one would count toward a requirement of the other. He then asked if there were advisors who specialized in students who were attending the separate colleges in the university since he had friends who also were getting fine arts degrees and might be interested in a second major and if there were advisors who specialized in that rather than just specialized in business.

She made a note, and he left his contact information. He drove to an office supply store and stocked up on notebooks, pens, printer cartridges and paper. And then he stopped at a Sam’s Club and bought extra sheets for the fold out in the office, a couple pillows, a set of pots and pans, dishes and cutlery and a television for his bedroom.

Once back at the condo he started to load the new stuff into the dishwasher. Put the office supplies on an empty shelf on the bookcase in the den. This terms books were on another and there were still shelves free for Sam and Finn’s. He made the fold out bed, lifted it back up so the small sofa was visible and stored the extra pillows in the ottoman. The furniture from Finn’s place looked good, but they may need another recliner. The cable was hooked up and he clicked it on and scrolled through the choices. The place seemed empty and quiet, which was crazy considering how much time he spent alone over the last year.

He updated his Facebook status to ‘settling in to new place’

Sam liked it immediately.

About five minutes later, Puck commented, ‘any sorority girls visiting?’

‘You do remember I’m gay?’ he replied.

Finn liked that.

Puck replied, ‘you’re better than a puppy for getting girls’

Blaine replied with a question mark and an emocone of a guy hitting his head on a desk

Finn liked that too.

‘You’re planning to live with straight boys; have you lost your mind?’ Kurt commented

Rachel liked that.

Santana added, ‘Fifty says he gets a leg over on Hudson before grad.’

‘You’re only saying that because you tend to turn most straight guys off women altogether,’ Blaine replied.

Brittney, Tina and Kitty liked that; which was weird because Brittney loved Santana.

Sam replied, ‘if he gets a leg over on anyone it’s going to be me.’

Tina liked that, so did Brittney.

Blaine spent some time syncing up his class details into his calendar. Sent an email to his mom on how perfect everything was and got a call from Cooper, just to see how he was doing. It was strange how much better they got along when they spend their time apart.

When Finn got in Blaine helped him unload stuff. It was mostly the same stuff he’d brought with him when he moved into the apartment above the garage. He also brought an ironing board an iron and a boatload of cleaning supplies at Carole’s insistence, which they stuck in the big front entry closet, along with his snowboard, a box of sporting goods with a football, a couple frizbees and lawn darts. Finn also had a new laptop which was a gift from Burt and Carole to help with his studies.

They ordered pizza and Blaine told him about his business advisor being skeptical of him being able to duel major. He also told him about the supplies in the office and the copies of the summer short session class schedule he picked up for Sam and him. Finn was taken back when he saw Blaine’s schedule and the amount of studying he was doing. Finn had to go into work the next night, but Blaine suggested he stop by the drama school and ask to speak with an advisor. The enrollment for the short session would be right after Sam arrived and if there was a class like social studies or English that they both needed they could take it together and ease their way into college that way. Finn liked the idea and said he’d email Sam once he knew what he needed. Sam’s advisor was proactive, mostly because he was classified as special needs and had already reached out to him twice before graduation.

They stayed up late, getting used to the new cable system and how the DVR service with it worked. Finally they settled in and watched ‘Caddyshack’. In the first weeks they learned which dryer in the laundry was set for a longer time, the best times to hit the gym and have the machines be open, that all the bars in the area were sticklers for ID and that neither of them were secret chefs. So Sam was welcomed with open arms. He was an expert at anything kids like, grilled cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers. He was also good at his crazy health foods and brown rice.

They celebrated Sam’s arrival with steaks and baked potatoes, two things Blaine had mastered, bagged salad and bread, Sam of course wouldn’t eat the bread. With Sam there, the energy was off the chart. He loved the place, he loved the campus and everyone who saw his smile loved him. Blaine had no classes on Thursdays and they scheduled their tour together. Sam had a meeting with his advisor the day after he arrived, who was in favor of him taking a class or two in the compressed session to get an idea of the workload before start of term. At Blaine’s suggestion Sam invited his advisor over to review his environment, make suggestions and set up a study plan. So Mr. Martin would be coming over Thursday evening. Blaine used one of the crockpot recipes for pulled pork and left it bubbling away when the three of them left to tour the campus.

Blaine had picked up a few large desk blotter style calendars when he shopped for office supplies. One for each of their rooms so they could map out their schedules on their walls and one main one for the office with all three of their commitments blocked out. The one in the office had three different colored pens, blue, green and black one for each of them and had Finn’s work hours, Blaine’s classes and was waiting for any of Sam’s information. Finn had added a red pen and said it was for group commitments. Blaine had used a thick marker already to mark off holidays and days there were no classes, like the day before and after Thanksgiving. Family dinner was on Mondays at six, so far other than the campus tour it was the only one in red.

Blaine liked to study on the couch in the office. The television wasn’t visible from there and it looked out the window, giving an expansive view passed the patio. So far he was keeping up with all his classes, he was wondering if he could up the number of classes he took next term. He still didn’t have a new advisor and was thinking of asking Sam’s advisor to recommend someone who could assist him with a duel major.

The tour was interesting, much of it centered on student life, rather than specific information to the curriculum. Their guide showed them the university rec center, student health center, the administrative hub, the LGBT center and the academic development center where you could request help or just walk in for tutoring. She explained about course selections, how to register, how to add and drop classes. There were over two hundred and fifty student organizations, everything from rock climbing and LARPers to politics and fraternities. She didn’t seem to think much of fraternities.

Finn had told Sam he could get him a job at UPS and Sam was considering it. Art supplies were expensive, although many would be covered in his stipend for class materials. Still, Sam was the kind of man who liked to pay his own way, or at least contribute so Blaine suggested he talk to his advisor, since he would be there anyway.

Blaine chunked up eight bell peppers of various colors and dressed them with oil and balsamic and some grated parmigiana. The pulled pork had the place smelling amazing, and Finn sliced some large Kaiser rolls to go with it. When Mr. Martin arrived, he was quite impressed with their place and said he thought it would be a much less distracting environment than a dorm for Sam. They ate on the patio. Mr. Martian commented on how committed Finn and Blaine were to making sure Sam had all the resources he needed to succeed. Finn confessed he was planning to use the study tips and organizational suggestions Sam got because he felt pretty out of his depth there as well. Blaine agreed and asked if Mr. Martian could recommend an advisor because his really was against his duel major. After their guest left Sam spent most of the evening, surfing the school site and bookmarking the resources from the sheet his advisor had left.

Blaine didn’t see much of Sam and Finn for a few weeks. Sam had taken the job, and he could get to the center by bus since his hours were shorter than Finn’s. Sam was in pretty good shape already but even he admitted it was exhausting, but a good work out. So he was eating better, if the food disappearing from the fridge was any indication. Sam and Finn had taken to doing most of the shopping. Blaine was in class and they seemed to think it was their contribution, even though Blaine explained that his parents owned the place and would make money on it in the long run.

He marked the registration period for the compressed session on the calendar and paged ahead and marked the one for fall term as well. It was hard to believe how fast the summer was going. He was glad they had come early, not just to get settled in but because hanging around that big empty house in Lima would have been a waste of time.

Sam was already counting down for the debut of ‘Marvel’s Agents of Shield’. Not that Blaine wasn’t; but he was more discrete about it, at least he thought he was. Finn liked Coulson and thought the Avengers were badass but wasn’t going to adjust his work schedule if it interfered, he could wait and watch it on the DVR.

One week into the compressed session they added Wednesday night to their group plan where they had dinner and studied. Each of them offered help however they could, even if it was reading something aloud. The six weeks were just enough to have both Finn and Sam terrified of a full term with its full course load. Both had taken a class in ‘Computing’ that introduced them to the campus site and all the apps available to them as students, how to check grades, contact instructors and monitor campus life. Blaine had it but his was spread out over the full term, not compressed.

Finn had also taken a class called Movement, which was just getting used to moving, not dancing, on stage. Finn was opting to combine a drama major with a teaching major. He wasn’t facing the problem that Blaine was since there was within the theater program a teaching concentration, so many of the required classes applied to both. Since he would live in the city year round due to his job Finn should have no trouble finishing both degrees and perhaps minoring in voice, in four years.

Sam had decided to follow Finn’s example. Sam’s Art concentration was sculpture, but the school also had a teaching degree to teach art combined in the discipline. So while Sam would be an artist with a bachelor in Fine Arts, he would also be certified to teach as an art teacher. Blaine tried to envision what that would do to a school’s pasta budget in the future. Both were also taking an English composition class and a global history class, and Sam was trying to get the minimal math requirement out of the way.

While they all seemed to be developing good habits and a healthy routine, Blaine knew fall term would be completely different. The campus wasn’t as busy during the summer and there were all kinds of mixers and events in September that would distract them.

Since it was compressed into six weeks, their advisors had recommended they not try to take more than that. Blaine had used one of his free Thursdays to stop into the drama department and get a drama advisor. The thing was he still wasn’t having any luck getting the drama school and the business school to work together.

Both Finn and Sam decided to cut their work hours starting in the fall. Not too severely, Finn was waiting to find out if any of the performance or rehearsal requirements were in the evenings. As it was both Finn and Sam were scheduling most of their classes between eleven and four, in case they could pick up more hours at work. Blaine had no idea how he would manage working, even part time, with his schedule and figured he would have had to pick a single major if he had to have a job as well. It was Finn who pointed out that Blaine would never last four years doing nothing but studying. So he and Sam decreed roomie fun day as another group commitment.

Since it was summer and they all had weekends free, they tried to do one fun thing a week. They hit the zoo, an amusement park and the history center, which was more fun than it sound and had a whole room dedicated to Mr. Rogers, which is when Sam found out Mr. Rogers had been filmed on their campus. They took a historic bus tour that drove them around Pittsburgh neighborhoods and the tour guide told stories from back when the town was an industry mecca that sounded like the Wild West, with millionaire tycoons, battling it out for markets and prestige. When they went to the Aviary there was a room of little birds you could hold or have perched on you. Sam got a shot of Finn with well over twenty birds perched from his fingertips, along his arms and shoulder and over to his other hand. He captioned it ‘they think he’s a tree’ when he posted it on Facebook. It ended up with over ten thousand likes so someone must have forwarded it and it went viral.

Due to his roommates insistence on proper life balance, which they called ‘you have to have fun and get laid’, when they were all down registering for fall term, Blaine checked out what would fit in his schedule next term and thought he could swing yoga on Tuesday and Thursday nights. As Sam pointed out, Blaine had been in twenty six clubs at school and could not just go to class all day and study all night at their place. And that was how he, Finn and Sam ended up at the LGBT freshman welcome mixer together.

They had hardly made it through the door when some bitchy queen said loudly, “Oh, well, no one told me to bring my own straight boy.”

Blaine rolled his eyes and looked around to see if there was anything interesting going on, it was mostly groups of two or three people, all whispering asides about everyone else. There wasn’t really much mixing going on. Blaine wasn’t engaging someone who was channeling their high school bitterness. Sam however had no problem saying, “Maybe they didn’t think you had any straight boys.”

“Hey, cookies,” Finn said and headed for the refreshment table.

Blaine followed in his wake; they were getting a lot of looks. But then he’s brought two hot jocks to a mixer of people who were all about acceptance, until it was them having to accept someone from a group they disliked.

“Not exactly a hopping party,” Sam said when he wandered up behind them, “why does everyone look so bored. If they don’t want to be here there’s like a billion other things to do.”

Blaine knew for a fact that Finn had lawn darts and a Frisbee in his backpack. Apparently Finn was hoping the mixer would have more bros.

“Their trying to look above it all, you can’t be enthusiastic and appear sophisticated,” Blaine said. “The majority spent years saying ‘when I get out of here, things will be different’ now that they’re out, they still have all their defenses up. Like Kurt, trying to look above it all for all those years at McKinley, now he’s in New York, and who is he hanging out with? Rachel.”

“That’s sad,” Finn said. “Why aren’t you all tight and you know… Kurt-like.”

“I had the two of you, and Tina and Brittney and Unique, hell even Puck and Jake and Artie and Mike and Ryder,” Blaine said, “I was your friend, not your gay friend. Let’s just hit the quad and play some Frisbee, we’ll meet people. Statistically some of them will be gay.”

As they left Finn said, “I just thought a mixer would be mixier. A guy in my Movement class is a Sigma Chi. He invited us all to a barbeque at their house tonight, it’s not an official rush event since it’s before the start of term, it’s just the brothers getting together as they all start moving back to campus.”

“Fraternities aren’t notoriously accepting,” Blaine started.

Finn cut in, “Don’t be like the cranky people at the mixer, keep an open mind, you’ll probably end up president or something.”

“I really don’t think I have time for a fraternity, but the barbeque doesn’t sound bad, but if they pull out paddles, I’m out of there,” Blaine said.

It was a different fraternity than the one they had visited with the sorority girls, and there were quite a few sorority girls from different houses. Finn’s friend Jason introduced them around and there were two art majors among the girls, one in photography and one in digital media. Blaine had pictures of Sam’s work on his phone so Blaine was able to show them that while it was similar to paintings, Sam’s work was all texture and dimension and was actually sculpture. One wanted to document Sam’s work for a class, the other wanted to photograph Sam; whether or not it was a clothing optional shoot hadn’t come up. Finn was being recruited hard for the fraternity, one of the brothers was a voice major and apparently Greek Sing was competitive and they were looking for people who could sing. One of the girls was double majoring in music composition and Piano. She had no problem because it was all in the same school. She’d never heard of anyone being able to straddle schools and have majors in two different schools.

The sorority houses were just down the block from their condo. All the girls knew their names by the second week of the term. Blaine found a place in their lobby he could store his bike and was able to use it to save time getting to and from classes. The fall term moved fast. It was fun getting back into performing even if it was only mostly for the rest of the class.

Both Sam and Finn did better than they expected in their summer classes. Blaine didn’t do nearly as well as he hoped and figured he needed to adjust his dream of having a 4.0 in both disciplines. Blaine enrolled in seven of the required first year classes recommended for the drama program. It was two more classes than recommended but then he wasn’t working so he should be able to fit them in. He and Finn shared two classes, Voice and Text – basically singing and reading.

Finn was gearing his studies to singing, and acting for the screen. Blaine was staying with general acting since he had all the business classes to worry about. He was thinking of talking to his father since when he applied to CMU it was with the understanding he could major in both and now they were acting like no one had ever done this.

Sam had met a girl, her name was Jolene she was from New Orleans and was a DG. She was pre-law and had been a pageant competitor in high school. She had beautiful café au lait skin, a background in ballet and reeked of money. She found Sam charming and had been introduced to him by one of the girls from the barbeque. The two of them were adorable and like something out of an old movie. Longing gazes, holding hands and apparently not in a hurry to sleep together.

They just finished midterms when Puck showed up to visit. And then Finn got him a job with UPS and he started crashing classes on screenwriting – he called it auditing, but as far as Blaine understood it you were supposed to let the university know you were auditing, Puck was more like a really aggressive homeless person. All Blaine knew was that he folded up his bed every day, used Finn’s closet for his clothes and was really good about letting them all study. Puck was also sleeping his way through both the student body and the faculty but he could cook so it balanced out. For winter term, Puck enrolled in some writing classes at Pitt, and started sleeping his way thought the student body and faculty there as well. Somehow probably because he had a job, he had established residency in Pennsylvania and had obtained state grant money to attend the state school.

But before that they had their first Thanksgiving. The school was only closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but Burt and Carole were going to New York to visit Kurt and offered to fly Finn in so he would be flying out Wednesday and coming back Saturday. Blaine’s parents and Cooper were coming to him, so he was ordering dinner from Whole Foods and just heating everything up for them. He offered his car to Puck and Sam, figuring Sam could drop Puck at Lima before visiting his family since the weather really made Puck’s bike unsafe. But Sam wasn’t going home, he was just too crushed with homework and wanted to keep on track, the trip was too long and it would be too many wasted hours back and forth.

Puck declined the car and took the train, Jake was picking him up and their moms were doing their first joint Thanksgiving. So for the six of them, Sam’s girl had not gone home either, Blaine ordered enough to feed roughly eighteen. His thinking was both that the specialty food store was not prepared for young men’s appetites and that they needed to have leftovers for when Finn came back on Saturday.

Blaine picked up chair covers and table linens and extra serving bowls and cutlery at a Big Lot store. Aside from family dinner night, their dining room table was just another area to set up lap tops to study. As their first time entertaining it went well. After dinner Sam took care of clean up and Blaine’s mother sang for them while he played the piano. By the end of the evening Cooper, Sam and he were singing and even Jolene had a pleasant but untrained voice.

It was nice to see his family. On Black Friday, he and his mom, and Sam and Jolene went to the indoor gardens in the park near campus and they nearly had the place to themselves as everyone was either in the madness of the stores or hiding from the madness of the stores. Blaine also made time to talk with his dad about the problems he was having regarding majoring in both business and theater. His dad actually told him he didn’t need to take business just to please him.

Blaine said, “I actually find my business classes really interesting. I mean, they’re just the starter classes, but I think I have an aptitude for it. Finn and Sam want to teach if they don’t rocket to stardom, I don’t think that’s for me. But I like, well taking over people’s lives and telling them what to do.”

His father chuckled so he said, “I might have just jumped into it with Finn, but I’m good at spotting talent. If I never make it as a performer in the business, I think I could be happy managing people like Cooper or Finn, getting them the right exposure, finding the best vehicle to show off their talents. And I don’t think a strictly business background would be the best for that, the classes on voice, expression, even some of the ones for Finn’s teaching degree designed to help train an ear would be instrumental in scouting talent and casting, as well as managing individual talent. But it’s like the University is so big and unwieldy that the staff of the business school and the staff of the drama school refuse to acknowledge the others existence. I’ve spent almost two full terms now trying to get someone from either department to help me map out the classes I need to take and the ones I can skip. I even asked the special education department for help. I keep hitting brick walls. I’m afraid I’m going to take six years to graduate.”

“Well,” his dad said, “you can take six years if you want.”

“I don’t want. I love it here, but if Finn and Sam weren’t hear I would probably be a hermit. They drag me out, for bike rides on the rails to trails or to play games or go to parties. Not that that’s all we do but since I have half again the normal course load trying to keep up with everything, I haven’t had time for extracurricular activities.”

“You want me to talk to someone?” His dad asked.

Blaine said, “I don’t want to buy a degree. I’m more than willing to do the work for it but it’s frustrating to think I might take a class twice under two different names for different schools. There should be something like this available; I can’t be the only person interested in this aspect of the entertainment industry. I have an internship required in my senior year of Business College; why can’t that be in something related to Theater?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” his dad said.

Finals for fall term went through December 22nd, but the three of them had finished all of theirs by December 18th, the four of them arrived back in Lima at dinner time to find the Evans family at Blaine’s house. Puck and Finn stayed for dinner and then Blaine drove then to Burt and Carol’s place. The Evans family headed back to Kentucky right after another rowdy breakfast the next morning and then Blaine drove to the airport to get Cooper.

Blaine was able to visit his old stylist and bring her box of cookies. She commended him on his loyalty but suggested he didn’t have to forgo haircuts while away. He had gotten trims while in Pittsburgh, but with such heavy course loads his hair, along with shaving and dressing in something other than gym wear, tended to get lowered in priority.

“Look at you, all dapper again,” Finn greeted him as he walked into the Lima Bean.

Blaine said, “Very amusing. I found time to get a haircut. And yes, I’m back on the gel, old habits and all.”

“Moderation, dude,” Finn said.

Kurt came up and handed Finn a paper cup and said, “Hello, Blaine.”

“Kurt, Merry Christmas,” Blaine said.

Kurt said, “With Puck at home and you here it’s like Finn’s roommates are everywhere.”

“I have so many,” Finn said as he nodded his head and smiled. And after all this time Blaine was picking up that Finn let people think he was an idiot, played into it even and was a total troll.

Blaine agreed, “More than Kurt,” and added to Kurt, “Yours stayed in the Big Apple?”

“Santana came home, but Rachel couldn’t get away, she has obligations to ‘Funny Girl’. Her dads have gone to spend the time with her,” Kurt said, casting a look at Finn to see if he was dying of jealousy over Rachel’s success. Or maybe that was just Blaine’s take on that sideways glance.

Finn added, “And Kurt didn’t being any random guys this time, so the extra bunk in my old room is free, so why should Puck sleep on the floor at his mom’s place. He did that at Thanksgiving, I told him mom and Burt wouldn’t have minded him crashing there while they were out of town.”

Kurt had started to sputter at the words ‘random guy’ and looked ready to launch all the reasons he found that offensive but by the time Finn finished they were interrupted by the shrieks of excited teenaged girls. They were swamped by Tina, Sugar, Kitty and Unique who had stopped in to refuel after shopping. There were hugs and kisses all round and they were invited to Sugar’s house for a glee club get together the next night. He wasn’t sure her very scary dad knew about it because it was only after she invited them verbally that they all got an e-vite from her with the date and time. Blaine’s arrived a minute before Kurt and Finn’s so he figured she had mailing lists based upon the year they graduated.

Jake replied for him and Puck and Ryder followed shortly after. Then Quinn for herself, Brittney and Santana, as Finn muttered something about the ‘Unholy Trinity’. Mercedes and then Mike were next and then Artie.

With no Rachel the karaoke didn’t get pulled out, even though Sugar had a machine. But Puck and Artie brought guitars and Sugar had a piano so Blaine accompanied people. They mostly stuck to either Christmas Carols or old favorites. There was alcohol but no spin the bottle and a big group breakfast the next morning.

Other than that, he didn’t see Finn or Puck until the Saturday after Christmas when Sam’s dad brought him to Lima and the four of them headed back to Pittsburgh. Winter term started and for the first week, until he had taken all his classes at least once, it crawled, and then time sped up and before Blaine knew it, it was midterms.

Their grades for fall term had been good; Sam pulled high Cs and low Bs in his non-art classes and absolutely killed in anything related to art. Now that Blaine had resigned himself to not having a 4.0 he was pretty proud of his 3.85 considering the course load he was taking. Finn was maintaining a B average and had been cast as Wesley in a school production of Sam Shepard’s ‘Curse of the Starving Class’ that Spring. No singing, no dancing, just acting and he’d only had his first acting class the semester before. He was the only freshman in the cast and received very favorable reviews.

Puck was taking four classes and was now considered a part time student at the University of Pittsburgh. He was listed as ‘undecided’ he had two writing classes at Pitt, a composition and creative writing class and ‘Introduction to Screenwriting’ and ‘Script Analysis’ at CMU since those classes weren’t offered at Pitt. Now that he had an official student ID he had even better access to the facilities on both campuses.

Sam was thinking of joining a fraternity. Now that he was in the swing of things he thought he could manage the time commitment. Finn liked people in multiple fraternities and didn’t want to choose and between work and school and the play he was doing decided to wait until he was a sophomore to make a decision. Puck would have joined but as a Pitt student he would belong to the ones all the way across on the other side of Pitt campus. He said he wasn’t walking up that hill and just went with them to the ones on their campus.

Blaine still had a plethora of straight friends and had only hooked up a couple times with a guy from his statistics class. They weren’t dating and didn’t really have anything in common other than they thought the other was hot and they were both too busy for relationships. His name was Aidan and they were more friends with benefits. Blaine never thought he’d be a friends with benefits kind of guy but his life was just too complicated to deal with the drama someone like Kurt thrived on.

Netflix released Queer as Folk and they spend some time as a group watching that. Sam didn’t like Michael from the first episode he thought he was creepy and Sam liked everybody. Finn seemed oddly invested in Brian and Justin’s relationship. And Puck, surprisingly, was bothered by the age difference. Blaine found watching it with straight guys really uncomfortable, like it gave them unrealistic expectations on how often he should be having sex.

After the winter term ended both Sam and Finn picked up more hours at work for the summer, but they also enrolled in the breath classes, the ones the University insisted they take to be well rounded. They each took three classes in addition to another voice class that both Puck and Blaine took with them. The piano came in very handy.

Once again Blaine stuck to mostly business classes over the summer. His dad was finally able to rattle some cages at the top administrative level and based upon what Blaine had done so far and some of the AP classes he had taken at McKinley he was able to ditch some of the breath classes, and should, if he kept up his current schedule of going full time in the summer be able to graduate with Finn and Sam.

Puck seemed to have no concerns about a degree of any kind. Blaine suggested with all the writing classes he was taking that maybe he could teach writing. Puck pointed out that if he was successful, the industry wouldn’t care if he had a piece of paper. And that the idea of him working in a school was ludicrous he had spent most of his life avoiding school. If nothing else he was doing really well at UPS.

Sophomore year was much the same as their freshman, although now Jolene often slept over and would often take over the breakfast cooking. Blaine wasn’t so much still seeing Aidan, but they checked their schedules at the beginning of term and actually scheduled hook ups. Finn and Sam joined Sigma Chi, but had to turn down and offices although he did most of work on the Greek Sing competition. Puck surprisingly wasn’t as into parties and had found a mentor. Of course being Puck his mentor taught at the school he wasn’t enrolled in.

Sugar, who had been going to Parsons school for design, transferred in at the start of their Junior year. She was living in the dorms and a frequent visitor. Blaine got the impression she’d been very lonely and depressed in New York. She’d never been close to Santana, Rachel or Kurt and while Artie and she were friends, Artie had never mastered the art of having a girl friend. He had girlfriends and hook ups but unlike Blaine and Tina never just was friends with one.

By winter term, Mr. Motta had bought her a two bed room condo in their building. She was a frequent visitor and Finn, Blaine and Sam exacted a strict promise that Puck was not to sleep with her. It was probably the thought of Al Motta stringing him up by his dangly bits that actually stopped Puck from tumbling her into bed.

Blaine and Sam had Jolene take her around the Delta Gamma house, after explaining to her sisters that Sugar had Asperger’s and didn’t make friends well, but she was a really nice girl. She pledged though informal rush and liked having two places she could just hang out and be included, the boys condo and the sorority house. She had transferred from Parsons to Carnegie Mellon’s design program and shared some classes with Sam. Jolene was appointed Sugar’s big sister and Sugar stayed and took full courses in the summer like Blaine in an effort to catch up.

It was fall term of their junior year when Finn had his big gay freak out. That was what Finn called it when he knocked on Blaine’s bedroom door at nearly four in the morning. Blaine opened it blinking bleary-eyed only to have Finn enter, close the door behind him and plaster himself against it as he babbled out some sort of sexual identity meltdown.

“You what?” Blaine asked as he sank down to sit on the corner of his bed. Finn had both arms spread at his side if someone was going to try and come through the door. So Blaine asked, “Is someone following you?”

“No!” Finn said and then lowered his voice and said, “look I’m sorry I woke you but you are the only one can talk to this about.”

“S’okay,” Blaine said, “I’m awake. Calm down. Just… sit. You’re giving me a crick in my neck.”

Finn sat on the foot of the bed and Blaine turned sideways and gave him his full attention. When Finn didn’t say anything Blaine said, “Start at the beginning. What happened?”

“I don’t know where the beginning is,” Finn said, “it might have started tonight or in Mrs. Peterson’s second grade class when Marcy Williams called me ‘Dim Finn’; rhyming names suck.”

“Let’s keep second grade in reserve, what happened tonight,” Blaine asked.

Finn took a deep breath, seemed to compose his thoughts and said, “Okay. Well, Puck and I went out with my friend Rick. I didn’t like Rick at first but that was because of his name, but he’s not like Rick the Stick. Anyway we went down to The Strip, ‘cause I’m legal now and Puck will be and anyway Puck can get served anywhere.”

“So you all were drinking,” Blaine said.

Finn said, “Some but not much it’s too expensive down there, but those places wouldn’t let us in even to dance until we were legal and there are ‘not-college’ girls there, like girls with jobs and stuff.”

“We could just call them women,” Blaine said.

Finn nodded as if that was fine with him and said, “So it was a dance club and I’m good enough now to not do grievous bodily harm to people so we were dancing. We were all having a lot of fun. Puck went home with someone, and hey, she looked under twenty-five, so that was cool.” Blaine fought the urge to facepalm because while this sounded like how Finn normally recapped a party or night out he had looked truly upset when Blaine had opened the door. “We kind of closed the place down, and when they throw the lights on to get you to leave, the girls you thought were hot look like scary clown hookers.”

Okay Blaine could simply not, not laugh at that. He had heard the story of Kurt’s makeover of Rachel. Finn rolled his eyes and then continued, “So we left and stopped at a diner and then we took the bus to Oakland, but Rick’s place is way down off Atwood, and it’s kind of dark and unsafe so I walked him home. I mean he’s a guy but he’s like your size. I mean-”

“Yeah, yeah, size does not make you less of a man,” Blaine said waving his hand, “no insult taken. What happened?”

“I’m getting there, so Rick said come in and I did ‘cause it’s getting colder and well, I went in and used his bathroom and he made coffee but I don’t like coffee and then we were on his couch making out and he had his hand in my pants.”

“Wha? Okay. That was abrupt,” Blaine said. “So neither of you was too drunk to know what you were doing right?”

“I knew, he sure knew,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “How did it end?”

“Dude!” Finn said.

Blaine did facepalm and said, “Not that, well I assume there was some form of mutual climax, but did you thank him and leave, did you bolt out of there like you were possessed, did you punch him?”

“I just said, ‘see you around’ and got out of there,” Finn said, “and is it weird that the jacking off doesn’t bother me as much as the kissing? I did not expect the kissing. That’s… that’s…”

“Intimate?” Blaine asked.

Finn nodded and looked morose.

“Okay. So what can I do for you,” Blaine asked.

Finn said, “Tell me what this means?”

“I have no idea, Finn,” Blaine said, “If you did that with a girl you thought of as a friend you might be just as rattled. I can tell you that having sex with a man no more makes you gay than my having sex with a woman would make me straight. You’re young, healthy; very attractive and you like sex. That’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of – it doesn’t make you a bad person. Sexuality isn’t a switch it’s not either on or off, straight or gay. Brittney likes both. I’m certainly not as knowledgeable as a class on human sexuality and you could take one it would fulfil a soc credit.”

Finn asked, “Does a handjob even count as sex?”

“Sure. Anything can count, bet if Quinn had given you one your freshman year you’d still be following her around,” Blaine said.

Finn laughed, “Not Quinn, her motto was ‘it’s all about the teasing, not about the pleasing’ you know.”

“I didn’t know that, I’m surprised she told you,” Blaine said.

Finn said, “She didn’t, Rachel spilled all the secrets of the chastity club.”

“That’s one club I wasn’t a member of,” Blaine said, “so, I have to ask. How was it?”

Finn blushed and buried his face in his hands, “Oh, God, I can’t believe you asked.”

“Tell,” Blaine said as he pushed Finn’s knee.

Finn peeked up and said, “Better than Santana, but that could be because he wasn’t bored, he was really into it, it was kind of flattering. Actually for pure technique he was better than Rachel too.”

“That could just be familiarity with the equipment,” Blaine said, causing Finn to blush again.

Finn said, “Blaine. So what do I do?”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Blaine said, “I would recommend not pretending it never happened. But this needn’t change how you think of yourself. On the other hand you’re young, as long as you’re careful with your heart and your partner there’s no reason you shouldn’t experiment and become familiar with what you like. Just from observing you over the past… what is it five years? You seem most attracted to people you’ve known a while, that you’re already close to. You prefer people you know and even like over just random hookups. Hot to you isn’t necessary a physical package, its familiarity – not that you wouldn’t prefer someone who was both.”

“Yeah, Puck always acts like there’s something wrong with me not wanting to sleep with scary older women I just met,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “Puck needs to realize that what works of him is not universal. He would not like me picking his hookups for him.”

Speaking of the devil, they heard the front door open and close and the bolt being thrown. The sound of keys being tossed into the ceramic bowl that Sam had made which was on an occasional table by the door. And then Puck’s soft tread as he went to the office and pulled down his bed.

“Should I tell him, or anyone, about this?” Finn said, softly.

Blaine said, “That’s up to you. I certainly won’t treat you differently. Sam and Puck have been more than supportive of me. But I understand your relationship with Puck is different. He’s not just your friend, he’s family.”

“Yeah, Kurt doesn’t get that. He’s never forgiven Puck for being… well, Puck,” Finn said

Blaine offered, “And I can imagine that Puck couldn’t care less what Kurt Hummel thinks of him. From some of the stories I’ve heard, Kurt gave as good as he got.”

“Dude, we nailed his lawn furniture to the roof of his house,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “Dude, he made fun of your clothes, hair, grooming, general intelligence and likelihood of success. Does ‘someday you’ll all be working for me’ ring a bell? And then had the nerve to wonder why none of you were his friends.”

“Wow. Bitter ex much,” Finn said.

Blaine said, “Do you remember when you and Sam dragged me down to mix with gay people? How I didn’t like the bitchy self-absorbed entitled fags who saw homophobia everywhere and felt they shouldn’t have to be exposed to straight people? I didn’t like them because they reminded me of Kurt and the way he was becoming. And the last four years in New York, only associating with Rachel and all the fashionistas at Vogue have magnified that to the point I want to choke him. He’s become a walking stereotype. The one person I recommend you don’t open up to about your sexual experimentation is Kurt. He’s got his own prejudices in this area.”

“Should I call Rick?” Finn asked.

Blaine said, “Well, certainly not before dawn. But if you want to… you could go to lunch or just explain that this is all new and you wanted to still be friends. If you want more, don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t. Might be he just thought you were really hot and doesn’t want anything more. Or he might find steering a virgin around the shoals to be more than he was looking for. And if it’s you who doesn’t want more, you might want to be upfront about that. I think as long as you’re honest with yourself and him you’ll do fine. Finn you’re really good at being a friend that lets me know that if and when you want a relationship with anyone, male or female, you’re going to be really good at that to.”

And that was Finn’s big gay freak out. Blaine didn’t really get to congratulate himself on handling it well, at least not for long. Because within forty eight hours he was dealing with Puck’s big gay freak out which was the direct result of Finn’s big gay freak out. Blaine suggested the human sexuality class to Puck as well; pitching it that there might be something he hadn’t tried and that it could be useful in character development for his screenplays.

That year one of Puck’s screenplays won a competition and was directed in a student film as part of someone’s senior thesis. Quinn and Jake took the train in from different directions for a weekend to come see the premier as part of a campus film festival. Puck also had one of his plays performed on stage already in a student production, but the film would be around and shown at various completions and film festivals. One of the faculty who taught screenwriting, had taken Puck under his wing and had been mentoring him since he first crashed his class back in their freshman year.

Puck after his freak out was okay that Rick and Finn were kind of dating. He didn’t seem to want the gory details the way he did once Jolene and Sam had started having sleep overs. Rick was thin taller than Blaine, but not much, a musical theatre major, the vaunted triple threat, who looked more like Sam, being blond and blue eyed. Blaine got the impression that Rick had trouble believing his luck; that the tall handsome leading man chose him. It seemed to Blaine that Rick held back, as if he expected Finn to come to his senses and drop him at any minute. Finn actually did all the romantic gestures; a dinner on the patio, which Blaine talked him into ordering from Whole Foods instead of trying to cook, a night at the opera, which Finn endured with a smile and a carriage ride and roses.

Rick was a year ahead of them and after he graduated headed for New York. He and Finn maintained a friendship with the understanding that if one of them met someone else they would remain friends. Rick visited twice during the fall term of their senior year and Finn put on a brave face when he introduced his new boyfriend, Giorgio, a dancer he was working with and had started a relationship, over Skype. Finn still kicked ass in the senior showcase, despite his broken heart. He stared in another student film that year and was pretty much the darling of his ‘Acting for the Camera’ class.

Blaine couldn’t shake the feeling that years later, Rick was going to realize just what he had thrown away for being too caution to take a chance. The night Finn came to him and asked if Blaine thought Rick and he would have stayed together if he was gay and not bi, they both ended up crying.

Senior year was when Jolene was accepted at Yale Law School. Blaine got the impression her parents thought that this would put an end to her unfortunate romance with Sam Evans. Blaine sort of understood that to Jolene’s parents Sam was a poor artist who came from a blue collar family. But the two seemed really committed. Sam had already arranged to transfer his job to Connecticut after graduation. Quinn still had contacts in the area and had set him up with studio space so he and Jolene would be living together while she attended law school and Sam would work for UPS and work on his art. Sam had a project planned that involved doing large portraits of the individual board members in mosaic glass suitable for hanging in the lobby of the insurance company that had paid his tuition. Ever the gentleman Sam didn’t think the heartfelt letters of gratitude he sent was enough. They weren’t going to start planning the wedding until her parents came around. Sam was sure they would before the first grandchild was born; or maybe the second.

Jolene made sure that Sugar had her own little sister to mentor and was slated for the fundraising chair position in their chapter of the sorority. Since all five of them would be leaving soon there was concern that Sugar wouldn’t maintain the ties she had on campus. Sugar was doing really well in design and outside the sorority was involved with some LARP group, mostly in making costumes for herself and others. She still maintained contact with Tina and Kitty online and was the one to always organize the reunion parties over the holidays.

Blaine was able to finish all but his internship up by the end of Sam and Finn’s senior year and one of the alumni was able to get him an internship at UTA Los Angeles. So he would be heading to Los Angeles that summer, Finn was heading there too with a list of contacts the school had provided him and several letters of introduction. It surprised everyone but the two of them that Puck was heading west with them.

They would pack up the furniture and box up their personal stuff to be moved back to the Anderson home in Lima. After a brief visit with their families they would drive out west and look for a place to stay. Blaine internship ran fifteen weeks and after that if United Talent Agency didn’t offer him a job he was thinking of striking out on his own or maybe doing a round or two of auditions to try the acting thing.

Once they found a place his parents would ship their personal boxes, and hopefully his piano which he was expecting as a graduation gift. It had been invaluable with voice lessons and working on musical numbers and kept them from slogging in the icy winter to and from rehearsal halls.

Cooper and his parents, Sam’s family, Burt, Carole and even Kurt who had already graduated came to their graduation. Blaine was receiving a diploma on his degree in drama and voice minor but after his internship his diploma from the school of business would just be mailed. Later that night Puck would recap for Finn and Blaine what went on as he sat in the stands with their families,

Puck had surprisingly received his own BA a few weeks before at Pitt’s graduation. His mother and sister and Jake and his mother had come to stay with them for the ceremony. Sugar had opened up her place for the overflow. Technically Puck’s degree was English with a minor in theater at Pitt, but he had wrung every piece of information about screen writing out of the staff of both schools. And Puck would probably stay in touch with his mentor, Morrie Averman, who held a chair at Carnegie Mellon, for the rest of his life, or the rest of Morrie’s since he was already over eighty. Morrie had even attended Puck’s graduation at Pitt, shocking Mrs. Puckerman with his praise of Noah.

Puck said Kurt was bitching about Blaine not having finished school yet. So Puck dropped the bomb that Blaine would be interning with UTA; and then had to explain to Burt and Carole what that meant. And while Blaine’s mother was complimenting Carole on one of the films Finn had been in Puck said Kurt felt the need to state it was a student production. And while Finn had loyally pointed out that Puck was usually pretty harsh on his interpretation of Kurt’s behavior, Blaine had confirmed Puck’s assessment with Coop.

According to Puck, Cooper said, “Like ‘The Blair Witch Project’?”

“Perfect example, no one can name a star from that,” Kurt said.

Coop had replied, “But it grossed over two hundred and forty six million worldwide.”

“It’s not always about the money,” Kurt said.

That was funny, because the reason Kurt was working at Vogue and only occasionally auditioning was Vogue paid better than most roles. Puck had spent the rest of the ceremony catching up with Sam’s family and was updated on Stevie and Stacy’s plans for the future. They all shared a meal before Blaine drove his parents and Cooper to the airport. The Hummels and Evans, with Sam, left for Lima and Kentucky. While Blaine, Puck and Finn stayed to let the movers in the next day and closing up the condo before driving back to Lima. Finn had sold his truck, on the assumption it was too beat up to make the trip to California. And he would look for a car out there. They rented a trailer to bring Puck’s bike and took it with them back to Lima.

 


	5. Life

 

A couple days after they got back, Finn asked if Blaine and Puck would come to dinner. Blaine knew this was the big bisexuality bomb and Finn wanted them there for moral support. Blaine had spent that day lounging around the house commenting on the photos Jolene were posting of the places she was looking at in Connecticut. So when he wandered into the kitchen, his mother was disappointed he was not staying for dinner. He explained that he thought Finn needed him, swore her to secrecy, but of course she could tell Dad and Coop if they promised to let Finn tell everyone else, and told her Finn had had a boyfriend his junior and part of his senior year and was most likely going to break the news to his mom that he was bi. So Blaine kind of had to be there for him, it was part of the bro code.

Kurt tried to bow out of dinner when yet another roommate was there. But Finn asked him to stay, saying that he had something to tell the family. After a lot of hemming and hawing it was Puck that said, “Finn’s bi, he spent about a year banging this guy Rick and he wants you to know because he’s going to be famous and he doesn’t want you all shocked when the paps catch him with some celebrity.”

“Dude!” Finn said.

“Oh,” Blaine said, giving Puck a dirty look, “well done, Noah.”

“He was going to spontaneously combust. Carole doesn’t care. Burt doesn’t care. Kurt’s probably ecstatic because now he thinks he has a chance. He’ll probably start stalking him all over again, like high school,” Puck said.

Blaine had never more wanted to slam his head forward into a plate of spaghetti in his life. How Puck could write subtle verbal nuances that impressed famous scriptwriters yet fail at just sitting there and being supportive was beyond him.

“Honey?” Carole said.

Finn sighed and said, “Yeah, kind of what he said, but I was going to leave out the part about banging.”

“Oh,” she said, “I was hoping for grandchildren.”

“Well, you still have Puck,” Finn said, “and I think the grandchildren plan figures heavily in Sam’s getting Jolene’s parents to let them get married.”

Burt snorted a laugh at that and started to eat.

Kurt wadded up his napkin and tossed it on the table and said, “Finn, you’re not bi. Someone took advantage of you.”

“Kurt, that’s insulting,” Blaine said, “Finn’s an adult and he knows his own mind. He went into his relationship with Rick with his eyes open and more forethought than most people in college give to dating.”

“And where is this Rick now?” Kurt asked, in a tone that heavily implied they were making the whole thing up.

Finn sighed and said, “He moved to New York to be a big Broadway star, like all my exs.”

“Not Quinn,” Puck said, “Quinn wants to be a trophy wife, like her mom.”

“Carole made this lovely dinner, can we put away the sour grapes long enough to enjoy it,” Blaine asked.

Kurt’s voice pitched up as he stood and said, “How could you not tell me this?”

“I’m telling you now, official family announcement,” Finn said, gesturing at the table and them all.

Kurt gestured to Puck and Blaine and said, “After everyone else.”

“Dude,” Puck said, “we lived with him. Some of us walked though his room to use the shower and got full frontal of him and his boyfriend.”

Blaine snorted and murmured, “Big gay freak out,” getting a look from Burt on his left.

“I’m your brother,” Kurt said tightly storming out of the dining room.

Finn followed and said, “But you’re not a bro, you never wanted to be a bro. You were real friendly when you were putting together the Moroccan love nest, but once I shot you down you didn’t want to just hang and be guys. You were super invested in Sam, until you realized he wasn’t going to return your feelings and then he was … still there but may as well have been invisible to you; even when he was living in the same house.”

“You can’t be bi,” they heard Kurt heading up the stairs.

Finn returned loudly as he followed, “How are you even gay, man? It’s like you don’t like men. They’re all too smelly and too messy and too loud and too awkward. Maybe you’re a lesbian?”

Both Puck and Blaine snorted and fist bumped.

“You think this is funny,” Burt asked.

Blaine said, “Hilarious. You wanted them to be brothers. That’s what they are. You should hear me and Cooper get into it.”

“I just don’t want them to hurt each other,” Burt said.

Blaine said, “Too late, they’re family. No one can hurt you like family. The only way to have Kurt safe all the time is to lock him away from everyone. Anytime you let anyone get close there’s a chance of getting hurt. Kurt’s too cautious, not in his career, but in his personal life. He’s strung so tight and his walls are so high, I don’t know how anyone will get close to him.”

“I always thought that the two of you might get back together,” Burt said.

And Blaine wondered what it had cost Burt to admit that. Blaine said, “I’m really not Kurt’s type. I was just…his only option for a while. I’m not… soft enough, pretty enough. I’m too masculine. Like Finn said, I’m a bro. Kind of nerdy and overly organized, but I’m wings and pizza and watching the game, or old scifi movies; Kurt is musicals and French cuisine. I’m boxing and weight lifting; he’s ballet and jazzercise. He sees beauty in perfection, I see it in flaws.”

“You should set him up with that Aidan guy,” Puck said as he dug into his dinner, “he was pretty pretentious and status conscious they’ll either be happy as clams or scratch each other’s eyes out.”

“Seriously?” Blaine said and then thought about it and said, “He is new to the city. It doesn’t have to be a blind date I could just text him Kurt’s contact information as someone who knows the best drycleaners or a good tailor.”

Burt rumbled and then said, “Who is this guy?”

“Just another business major, finance and international trade, he just placed at Goldman Sachs so he’ll be right in Manhattan,” Blaine said.

Puck added, “He’s really tidy. Makes Blaine look like a slob.”

“Hey,” Blaine said.

Puck said, “It’s a compliment, Dude. I mean he’s not Miss Pillsbury level of clean, but he’s as fussy as Kurt about his hair and clothes.”

Once their stuff arrived from Pittsburgh, Blaine sorted through it, making sure their personal things were labeled and re-measuring the furniture and piano. He wasn’t even sure what had happened to the elaborate sketch-up details he had from the first move.

Before they knew it they were in Blaine’s car with a new rented trailer attachment hauling necessities and Puck’s bike. This trailer reduced visibility when driving but was all enclosed so when they stopped for food or the night things were less likely to be stolen. They were making the trip from Lima, to Kansas City, then spending the night, and maybe catching some music since it was famous for barbeque and music. Their hotel was right in the entertainment district. Then they would go from Kansas City to Denver and from Denver to Las Vegas. It was all pretty flexible, if they ended up staying a day longer in any city it would just reduce the time in Vegas. Since they were all now at least twenty one, the plan was to spend a couple days in Vegas, hit the half priced ticket booths to see what shows they could get into and take in some of the attractions. None of them really had the funds to waste on gambling but they intended to try the slots and at least buy into one of the twenty dollar Texas Hold Em tables.

The hotel in Vegas was actually much cheaper than the ones in Denver and KC, probably because the owners were planning to get the money back at the tables. Sam, now in Connecticut with Jolene, spent about an hour on the phone with them on driving days and Blaine wished he could have come, at least for the trip and then flown back to Connecticut. College had been a blast but none of them had lazy summers of being stupid, all four of them went to school in the summers, even if only Blaine went full time every term. Sam, Finn and Puck had worked and not the kind of ‘sitting on your ass with your feet up’ jobs most college kids got, that let them study when they should be watching a security monitor. UPS paid what it did because it was physically tasking, mentally demanding work that while there took an employee’s entire attention.

Over spring carnival at school their junior year all four of them plus Rick, Jolene and Sugar and a couple of her sorority sisters had gone to Mardi Gras. It had been wild and they had all met Jolene’s parents and grandparents for a big brunch at their country club. But still it would have been nice to have just a guy’s trip.

Sam had already started working in his new location and was making friends fast the way he always did. He and Jolene were in the process of furnishing a tiny one bedroom about two miles from campus. With the University nearby there were lots of people moving out every term and getting rid of things. And Sam was adept at refurbishing things; he just treated furniture as another form of sculpture. He said he was thinking of moving out of the distribution center to being a driver. It would have him home nights and able to spend more quality time, instead of time when one or the other was sleeping, with Jolene.

Once they left Vegas, it was a short drive, compared to the ten to thirteen hours a day the rest of the trip had been, to Cooper’s place in Pasadena. Cooper was currently in New York and had overnighted the keys and alarm code when he realized he wouldn’t be in town when they arrived. Cooper had a two bedroom one bath bungalow in the landmark district that was frankly adorable. It was perfect for him, with just enough room for his revolving door of women, but not big enough to echo the way home did when Blaine was the only one there. There was a pull out sofa in the living room, so none of them would have to double up the way they thought they would if Cooper had been there.

Finn and Puck were expected at work in a few days but Blaine had over two weeks before he was to report to UTA. Blaine could hardly remember every having two weeks with nothing to do, besides find a place to live, and was a little worried he might start a business, stage a coup or do something really stupid. The last time he had time on his hands he had pretty much kidnapped Finn and taken over his life, regardless of the fact that Finn didn’t hold it against him, Finn rarely held things against people.

Cooper had advised them to leave the car and take a bus if they wanted to go dining or drinking in Old Town. It was about a ten minute ride and even if they removed the trailer none of them felt like playing designated driver. So they wandered around the district being a general nuisance to shopkeepers and checking out all the dining options. It was like being in New York, there were hundreds of choices, cuisines from around the world, everything from cheap food cart style to ‘oh my God, how much’ foodie options.

Puck was lecturing on his vast experience of being a Californian on how to blend in, Finn was enthusing about everything because ‘look at us we’re here’. They ended up at a beer garden called ‘The Dog Haus’ because ‘the name – that’s awesome, we have to eat there’. And since it was early they were able to get a table on the patio or possibly because they were big and loud and the staff didn’t want them indoors. Not that Blaine was either big or loud but his roommates had always been, between Finn’s expansive gestures, Sam’s impressions and Puck seducing everyone, Blaine generally spent their nights out laughing so hard his eyes watered and his stomach muscles hurt the next day. Sam was sorely missed as they settled in to pursue the menu. The place specialized in hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages, with amazing toppings.

Puck flirted with the waitress and they ordered a round of the craft brew she recommended. Finn wanted all the dogs, they did sound good, but Blaine ordered a burger. They spilt an order of fries while waiting that must have had a pound of bacon on them. By the time they had been there three hours, they had each had probably had more than the legal limit and Finn had five hot dogs. Between Puck’s flirtations and Finn’s honest charm they had turned the patio into a party. Young people were moving from table to table, and acting like old friends.

Finn had an adorable trait when he was slightly tipsy. When he saw someone hanging back at parties, or in this case restaurants, he would walk up, introduce himself and then drag the poor soul with him as he introduced them to everyone he knew. The evening had started with him chatting with a young couple at the next table planning to go to Disneyland on their honeymoon, and had escalated until it was some kind of demented memory game. Most of their new friend probably thought Finn had been in Jan and Peter’s wedding and this whole group was here celebrating it. Jan and Peter would have a hell of a story when they went home to Ogden, and even had the selfies with Finn to back it up. The fact that they were actually Jane and Peter had only come up once, to which Blaine had given a ‘what are you going to do’ shrug.

The poor restaurant staff would probably have never gotten their patio back if Blaine hadn’t been talking to a local named Jesse who mentioned there was a pub nearby that had live music seven nights a week. Jesse had only stopped in because ‘The Dog Haus’ had good cheap food and he was on his way to listen to a friend’s band. So Blaine, who was approaching the leaning and clinging stage himself, which thankfully four years of college had extended to at least four beers, utilized his very own superpower. As part of his college education, he had discovered, during numerous fraternity parties and sorority formals and general nights on the town that he had the ability to subtly influence large groups of drinking people to do his bidding. Or maybe not so subtly, he called loudly across the patio and said, “Hey, Puck. Jesse and I are going to the ‘Old Towne Pub’ to check out his friends’ band, you want me to give you the house keys so you and Finn can get in later?”

“No!” Finn said, from the other direction, “we all want to see the band.”

One of the two young ladies who had just come in for dinner that Finn had been making meet every one before they ordered chimed in, “band? What band? Do they have food there?”

And suddenly between twenty and thirty people were settling their tabs and heading out in search of live music. The left en masse, after they all said goodbye to and wished luck to Jan and Peter, who hadn’t been drinking and just took it all in as some chaotic dinner theater. It probably only seemed as if they doubled the size of the audience when they arrived at the little brick dive. There was more drinking, more enthusiastic cheering and clapping than the band probably deserved and they chatted with the musicians between sets. Blaine was pretty sure that Jesse was the new best friend of most of the band and possibly the owners of the dive.

Since they had gotten turned around in the walk from the beer garden to the pub they called a taxi to get them back to Cooper’s place. The next morning Finn had thirteen new friend requests and four people already friended that he didn’t remember adding the night before. Finn had a habit of handing his phone to people because it wasn’t made with someone with hands his size in mind so Blaine was constantly updating his password and running virus scans on it.

Blaine actually managed the virus scans on all their electronics because a badass Puck may be but he was a surprisingly vulnerable badass, especially in how open his electronics were. Some bitter ex or one night stand or jealous husband was going to frame the guy for international terrorism or something and given Puck’s luck he would spend the rest of his life in Gitmo singing Neil Diamond songs at jihadist Muslims. Blaine had also given Jolene detailed instructions on the care and maintenance of Sammy even though he was far less likely to have bitter exs, one night stands or jealous husband, because some people were just criminals without motivation.

Blaine had been in contact with an agent to find some form of housing. He had no hopes of finding what they had in Pittsburgh. What his father had paid two hundred thousand for in 2013 would have sold for over four million in LA, at least as close to everything as their place had been. Blaine felt an odd homesickness for their bachelor pad. He missed being able to pad barefoot onto the balcony and have coffee with Sammy or the nights the four of them had dinner and kept each other abreast of their dreams and ambitions, the little successes that lifted an otherwise mundane day.

He even missed putting up the occasional guest who was passing though. The train from New York had funneled, Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Tina, Artie and Kurt through Pittsburgh at least once in the four years they were there. The girls and Kurt had been expecting a fraternity like atmosphere. The upscale modern spaciousness of the place had even impressed Quinn, for whom Sam, ever the gentleman, had given up his bed and bunked with Blaine. Apparently her place at Yale had been rather dorm like. Quinn had done her senior internship with the same insurance company that sponsored Sam’s degree and was now working on their call center management team with an eye on moving up the corporate ladder.

Artie was still in touch, he attended many of the festivals where some of the student works that Finn had stared in were shown. He always called with welcome praise and insight. And they should make sure there was room for a guest because Artie at least had professional reasons to visit Los Angeles.

Blaine’s agency and the distribution center were about twelve miles apart, but in LA that equaled forty minutes’ drive time more or less depending on traffic. Going over their budgets and the money Blaine had allotted to support himself during his internship they should be able to handle four thousand dollars a month for rent for one year. Since Blaine wouldn’t be paid for his internship which was for ninety days and he wasn’t technically out of school his parents were still paying his housing but he wanted something he could afford once he had his diploma. The trouble was even for four thousand a month there weren’t many places in Los Angles that would suit their needs.

As Puck pointed out there were plenty of places like his old one but they weren’t safe or convenient to anything. Getting anywhere in the city took hours, as they discovered their second day there as they drove around looking at the various neighborhoods and checking out how long it took to get to UTA and the distribution center. Finn wanted to live somewhere between the agency and the distribution center but that area was Central LA and West Hollywood, both areas that could easily run double what they budgeted. Puck wanted to live near Sunset, which was even further away from the distribution center than the agency was.

The distribution center was actually near Chinatown, and there was a newly remodeled complex recommended by the waitress where they had lunch when they were scoping out the commute to the center. They called the rental agency they had been working with and asked if any units were available. The place had all the standard appliances with a washer and dryer hook up. It was about half the actual square footage of their place in Pittsburgh but did have two bathrooms and three bedrooms. The great room wasn’t nearly as large but they just might be able to have the piano if they didn’t have a dining room table. It would be a tight fit.

“Hey I can see the archway,” Finn said, looking out one of the windows, “That’s really cool.”

“There’s an electric car charging station, we really are in California, aren’t we?” Puck said, looking up from the sheet of building amenities, and then quickly removing the boxy hipster glasses he needed to read it.

Blaine peered at the sheet Puck still held and added, “Fitness center, that’ll save the cost of gym memberships.”

It had a clubhouse and a pool, allowed pets for a fee and called the fact that a window opened to a tiny space a balcony but as Blaine checked on his phone it had good ratings as a building from the residents and there was no significant chatter or horror stories about the property management company. It was the only three bedroom offered in the place, and frankly should probably been marketed as a two bedroom with a den or bonus room but it would work.

With the rent and the cost of two additional parking spaces it would just bring them in at about three thousand three hundred a month. But that included high speed internet, trash, water and sewage. It seemed ridiculous; they could buy a house in Lima outright for cash with the amount of rent they would pay in about two years. But it ticked all their marks, was actually right on the metro line less than two miles away from where Finn and Puck would go to work. Finn said since Blaine would be the one commuting almost an hour and a half each day he should take the master bedroom.

Blaine was actually going to research the rail and bus system to see if it would be faster than driving. If it was he could leave his car for Finn and Puck. Just being there they could see that rail and bus line ran between the distribution center and right outside the apartment complex. But since Finn and Puck were most likely to be off during the daylight hours they would need a vehicle to make it to call backs and auditions.

And just like that they found a place within a day of arriving. The lease was for one year and hopefully they would all be successful by then, if not at least one of them. They borrowed a tape measure from the property manager and took measurements. Blaine entered them into his phone as Finn held the end and Puck, after putting his glasses back on, called out the numbers. One of the bedrooms was really small only nine by ten and Finn volunteered to take it but Puck asked if there was any chance of Blaine’s parents sending the amazing lift up bed because he would totally take it if he could fold the bed into the wall and have the couch. He’d written some of his best stuff sitting on that couch and it had sentimental value. And since there wasn’t room in the great room for a dedicated office the way they had had in Pittsburgh it might be best.

They would be able to move in even before the first of the month, since there was no one in it now. It had just been repainted a warm creamy color. The tiny kitchen against the wall near the door was all black tile and countertop and white cabinets. Countertop his mother wouldn’t approve of since it was some shiny non-natural substance, but it was new and clean and went well with the stainless steel appliances. It looked stark but Blaine figured they would warm to it, hang some of Sam’s art work and brighten up the place. And he kind of liked the idea of living in Chinatown, it had character. Maybe Mike would visit.

“The bathroom isn’t handicap accessible like the one in Pittsburgh,” Finn said.

Puck said, “It’s wide enough, I checked,” as he handed the agent back the tape measurer.

“But it’s a tub/shower combo, the one in Pittsburgh was a straight shower,” Finn said. That was so Finn and it made Blaine doubly glad he hadn’t mentioned how much he’d miss the deep jetted tub from his bathroom at the old place.

Puck said, “He can manage, he doesn’t ride into the shower, I just put one of the chairs from the patio in there. Artie’s adaptable, man.”

“You know,” Finn said, “with how close we are, we could just take your bike to work for a while, it would save on the other parking space.”

“You’ll still need to go on auditions and meet with people, we need to check how long a bus takes or where the rail will get you. LA is a car type of town,” Blaine said, “If any of us gets work, real work in the industry, there will to be expenses. Lawyers, agents, union dues, and the way this town spreads money out, even if we do get work it could be months or years before we get paid. I’ll be glad to function as your managers gratis but all those other expenses… they’re just there. ”

“Do we have enough for furniture?” Finn asked, “I know the rents lower than you said we could afford but it’s really empty.”

“I’m going to check the measurements and see what of our old stuff will fit,” Blaine said.

Puck said, “Weren’t we borrowing that from your parents.”

Blaine said, “They’re thinking of unloading the house in Lima; not that they were ever there. They’ll just have to get rid of most of it anyway. With Coop and me both out here, what’s in Lima? Don’t worry they won’t move to LA, probably settle up around San Francisco, maybe San Jose.”

“Oh, can we go visit? I want to see the Winchester House,” Finn said.

Puck and Blaine and the rental agent turned looks on Finn, and then Puck asked, “Documentary?”

“That poor woman,” Finn said.

So they called it a day, and put off looking for a car for Finn. Blaine’s internet research showed there were no trains connecting Chinatown to Beverly Hills and a bus would take over an hour and require him to walk in a pretty high traffic area. It was still early as he was poking around online while trying to calculate what they could fit in the apartment so he called his mom.

She was a bit concerned at the length of his commute. He pointed out he was currently an unpaid intern and Beverly Hills was out of the question for his first place. She was reassured that he wasn’t living alone and that the building was secure. She had been worried they would rent a house and it would be in a bad neighborhood. After seeing the cost of rents Blaine had been worried they would too. He told her that the stuff they had boxed up could be shipped and asked about moving the piano and if he could have the fold down bed from Resource Furniture.

She immediately offered to ship all their furniture and Blaine explained that they had about half the space and had to pick and choose. Of course none of the furniture from Sam’s room needed to come, and that was when his mom said she had already spoken with Sam and Jolene and had sent it to them to furnish their place. It had been the bed, bedside tables, a desk and chest of drawers from one of the guest rooms. She saw no reason they needed it back and he was such a dear boy. His mom was kind of awesome.

So they talked it over and she was very concerned when not only was he not taking the patio furniture, because there really was no room. Indoors they could swing maybe two bar stools for the kitchen and no table. There simply wasn’t room dining room furniture. It was either the piano and the recliner or the dining table. Blaine said he didn’t want to rent additional storage for furniture they couldn’t use. She offered to sell it and send him the proceeds and he pointed out he had stolen the furniture from her in the first place. She laughed and then said they were going to be getting rid of all of the furniture, or at least only keeping a few sentimental pieces. Blaine figured that meant enough to furnish a four bedroom house.

They talked for a couple hours. Reminiscing about different memories centered on their house and growing up in it. Finn, who had been outside helping one of Coop’s neighbors with something heavy or high came through the door on his way to the shower and asked, “Is that mom? Tell her hi for me.”

His mother laughed and asked how Finn was doing with the move. Blaine said, “He loves it. He must have added fifty people to his Facebook. I think he wants an electric car; our new place has a charging station. I’m sure he won’t go vegan but he’s really embracing California.”

Eight days later Blaine was waiting for the movers at their new apartment. Finn and Puck had taken his car into Burbank. Puck was leaving Finn at a cattle call and Puck was pounding the pavement and having lunch with a contact of Morrie’s.

Once they arrived it took the movers less than two hours to unload and place all the furniture. All the bedrooms looked small with the beds in them. Puck’s room had a walk in closet but Finn’s had more floor space. The desk instead of facing the room, looked out the window, and the desk chair would have to be moved to the side or the closet when the couch was turned into a bed. Blaine’s ‘master suite’ was really just a normal sized bedroom so there was little in there but his dresser, bed and two bedside tables. His closet was larger than he needed and the bath tub was large but not jetted.

There were some unexpected things among the boxes. The two club chairs and sofa for the living room that he expected were there, the requested recliner and his beloved piano. But their coffee table, scuffed from four years of boys with no mothers to tell them to keep their feet off, it was missing. She’d sent the Kubo. At first glance it was a warm modern-lined wooden rectangular coffee table, but it transformed first into a single sided work surface by flipping one side and locking it in place, and also into full sized dining table by flipping open both sides and locking them in place. Underneath the two movable tops was an eight inch deep storage compartment almost the size of the table when folded up. It would seat four to six in the dining position. He hadn’t even thought to ask for it because they could have bought a car for what it was worth. No one was putting their feet on this, at least not with shoes on.

There were also an abundance of lamps. Blaine really hadn’t thought to ship lamps to Pittsburgh and over the four years they had been there they had acquired many cheap ugly lamps. His mother must have opened the boxes marked lamps when she was shipping Sam’s furniture because these were not their lamps. The ones from Finn’s old apartment were there as they had been selected to match his furniture but there were several new ones that indicated Blaine’s mother thought that they were not to be trusted to buy lamps on their own.

After putting the place to right, or as right as he was going to get it. He walked the neighborhood, picking up takeout menus and browsing the specialty food shops. He made a few purchases, but they would need to take the car to a Ralph’s to stock up the pantry. He liked their neighborhood. Interspersed with the tourists with cameras were a wide variety of all ages. The streets like everywhere in LA were filled with cars, but the sidewalks were filled with people going about their daily lives. They could live here, this was going to work.

 


	6. The climb

 

Finn got his electric car, and sold it ten days later; because apparently environmentalists were short people. He’d bought it off Craig’s List from a young couple who had obviously fallen on hard times. It was a two year old Nissan and he paid eight thousand dollars cash for it. Watching Finn fold his six foot four muscular frame into it was actually painful. The car didn’t have room for Finn and the idea of Finn and Puck in it together would have been laughably like clowns all pouring out of a tiny car.

So within days of buying it and posting a string of pictures of it on Facebook, Finn had posted on his Facebook wall that he was looking to sell his car. One of his new LA friends messaged him almost immediately and mentioned a new roommate whose dad was looking for car for her as she just came out West and hadn’t realized how you needed a car to get around. So after an exchange of texts, Blaine had followed Finn to UCLA campus and when Finn had pulled up the girl’s father had warily asked why Finn wanted to sell it. Finn had opened the door and stood up. Once the man stopped laughing he went online and looked up the make and model, read the reviews. Finn talked to the girl and asked if the university offered charging stations and said he’d gotten it because his building offered them built into the rent.

When the father asked if he would take a check, Blaine was going to speak up but Finn said, ‘sure she’s a friend of’ and inserted the name of the random girl he only knew the name of because Facebook put names on people. The father wrote him a check for fourteen thousand. As they drove home, Blaine suggested Finn was wasted in shipping and should consider a side line in used cars. To Blaine’s surprise the check cleared and Finn was now owner of a slightly larger and slightly older truck. Puck was still making due with his motorcycle, or borrowing one of their rides when it was raining.

Blaine had started working at UTA, he was learning a lot. And like when Finn worked in the tire shop he was learning what he didn’t like. So much of it was endless meetings with pretentious people, none of whom were performers or had ever performed. They were judgmental and hypocritical and self-important but they were the people who made stuff happen. They talked marketability they talked mass appeal they talked leveraging but they rarely talked about the talent of the talent. The thing that had drawn Blaine to the business aspect of being an agent was the opportunity to seek out and find new talent, to nurture it and help it grow. While he watched and waited and took notes and made coffee it seemed to him that they were all concerned with money, if it could be made and how much on any individual prospect. The quality of the project or the best interest of the talent was incidental.

A few weeks into his internship he was questioning if he wanted to work in such a soul sink. Blaine had a good ear, a good voice and was a fairly talented actor, nothing on a par with Finn who really had a natural talent that four years at Carnegie Mellon had refined, but Blaine figured he could be a working actor on a par with Cooper at the very least. And without the daily grind of showing up and scurrying around the posh Beverly Hills office he might actually be able to get Puck and Finn’s careers off the ground.

“Anderson, right?” Sue Feldman said. She was an aggressive fortyish senior agent whose hair was hopelessly stuck in the seventies. Given the hair Blaine revised her age and figured she’d had work and was more likely fiftyish.

Blaine looked up from the agendas he was prepping for yet another meeting and said, “Yes, Ms. Feldman?”

“Come with me,” she said and walked passed him.

He heard himself make an ‘ah’ sound as he looked down at the binders he was compiling and she barked, “A temp could do that, don’t let them push the grunt work on you, kid, you’re here to learn.”

He left the binders and trotted off in her wake. He didn’t know it at the time, but he’d found his mentor. He followed her to her office where she proceeded to grill him like he’d committed a crime. Kurt often waxed about destiny and how meeting the flighty designer out of her depth in the publishing world had been a turning point for him. Blaine figured his destiny must be to have insane women named Sue take over his life. Just like Sue Sylvester had forced him into the position of head cheerleader in high school by the time he left for the day he was now Sue’s personal assistant. She became his own Miranda Priestly.

“Chinatown, no one lives in Chinatown, it’s a tourist trap,” she said.

Blaine said, “We like it.”

“Boyfriend?” she said, and no one would ask that back home; not in a work environment.

Blaine said, “Roommates.”

“You’re not in college anymore,” Sue stated.

Blaine said, “Yes I am, hence the not being paid.”

“You just used ‘hence’ in a sentence,” she said.

“One of them is a writer,” he said.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him. He smiled back, it was kind of freeing realizing he really didn’t want a glossy office where all he did was talk on the phone and take lunch meetings. She said, “Let me guess another one is an actor?” at his nod she said, “Kid, you can’t be friends with talent. This is a business. You can’t get attached to the talent. It’s a job. They’ll blame you for not funneling work their way or you will funnel it and they’ll drag you down.”

Blaine politely tried to allude to not caring and implying his friends were more likely to pull him up than down. Sue waved his manners away and pointed that while being a good agent could be very lucrative all it took was a few losers to eat up you time and energy.

“If all I wanted to do was make money, I would have followed my ex to New York. I have a bachelor from the school drama from Carnegie Mellon University’, I completed it at the same time I attended Tepper School of Business, I minored in both voice and psychology and completed almost eight years of work in four. I know what I want to do; I just don’t know that UTA will be the place for me to do it. I am grateful for all I’m learning here,” at that she snorted because she probably thought all he had learned was fetching coffee and how to use the copy machine.

“I mean that sincerely.” Blaine said and leveled a look at her. “I have learned things here, including that I don’t want to stay away from the talent. I like talent, finding it, caring for it. I mapped out my career choice based upon my strengths. I like people. I like performing and watching others perform. I’m good at spotting true talent, I’m good at refining it, picking out roles that will show it in the best light, stretching it, nurturing it. I know when it’s good and when it’s not good and the why of both situations. I’m also organized, great at finance and know how to be persistent.”

Sue buzzed and had tea brought and delicate cookies. Most of Blaine’s first days had consisted of detailed instructions on how to work the offices cappuccino machine and delivering it, so maybe that was why their paths hadn’t crossed. Somehow whether from Sue’s pointed probing or from Blaine’s not caring if he was hired after his internship he ended up telling her practically everything. She actually cancelled a meeting and had lunch delivered while they held up in her office. It was a bit like a summer feel good movie, she laughed, she cried and she called him a fucking idiot.

He started with being bashed at his junior high Sadie Hawkins dance and his transfer to Dalton, being the star of the Warblers and transferring back to public school for a boy, That move earned her contempt but he pointed out he’d been sixteen and that while he lost the star spot, he gained a place on the winning team. He talked about Finn and Sam and strong arming them both into going to college, finding sponsorships for them by using his connections, but he didn’t mention his father was his connection. He did mention how likely Sam was to be one of the defining artists of this generation and how Finn had true talent and the lovable nature that would make him very bankable. He told her about Puck, how Puck had gone from doubting that he would graduate from high school and expecting to be dead or in prison by thirty to not only obtaining a bachelors but being the kind of writer Morrie Averman called witty and insightful. Sue was impressed by that because there were few people who dealt with stage or screen that didn’t know Morrie’s name.

Blaine said, “I don’t want to hold up in an office all day looking at head shots. I can’t tell from a bio and a smirk whether someone can act. I want to talk to them, see if they’re passionate; see if they’re committed. Let me hear them sing and if they can emote; let me watch them walk and talk and read. And let me watch them interact with waitresses and security guards, craft services and fans, because there are enough reality show divas already. I’ll find you the hard working actors who will bring more to a project than they take away. Bankable stars quickly become ‘has beens’ but a good actor who has a good work ethic and that treats others with respect will find work. Maybe never six figures but there is work.”

And that was how Blaine spent the rest of his internship dogging Sue’s steps. Attending awards ceremonies, galas, parties and lunches. He didn’t even have time to line up interviews for when his internship was over. He barely saw Puck and Finn or Artie for the three days he was in LA for one of the film festivals. Sue called him all times of day or night, seemed incomprehensive of the forty minute drive between where he slept, or wished he had a chance to sleep, and the office.

Blaine had found out Artie was visiting when he came home and found Finn sleeping in his bed. It wasn’t much different than the times he’d bunked with Sam when they had visitors, except he woke up blanketed in a wall of muscles. Not a bad place to be.

Finn had played a bad guy on a cop drama, no name, just billed as thug number three, and been cast as a background extra in a couple shows. While, Puck had actually sold a screen play and been really excited. He said it was for ten thousand dollars and was planning to get a car, until Blaine went over the contract and explained it to him. Puck only would be paid so much for the commencement of the first draft and it would not come immediately but could take months to pay out. He would have the potential to be paid more when the first draft was delivered, again not immediately because there were lawyers involved. Oh, and he needed a lawyer, Blaine suggested they see who Coop was using and asked if anyone knew just what kind of law Jolene was studying.

Then Blaine explained that if Puck was chosen to do the rewrite, there would be additional money offered and additional money paid upon completion, the same thing applied to polishing the script. If other people were chosen to rewrite or polish their names would appear with writing credits. Then if and only if filming was completed would there be yet additional payments. So it could take years. And now since he sold his first script he had union dues of one and a half percent of everything he was paid for his writing in addition to the two thousand five hundred dollars to join WGA. Puck would now be responsible for filing a form quarterly for the dues, but Blaine would do it for him as long as he provided him with stubs for all his payments. Blaine also suggested he go charm the person at the union and see if he could set up payments for the membership fee.

Puck was devastated, and glad he had waited to call Morrie. Finn said it was a good thing he hadn’t quit his day job, or night job as you will. Blaine sat directly across from Puck and took both his hands in his and said, “Hey. This is a good thing. You call Morrie, he’ll tell you that. He’ll be so proud of you, Puck. You haven’t been here two months and already people are noticing your talent. That’s amazing.”

“Do not let how this industry is set up rain on your happy. Maybe hold off on the car, but celebrate with something, a better laptop or a television in your room, and then bank the rest and get back to work,” Blaine said, “As a writer this is how all your income is going to be structured. Eventually you’ll be able to know what payments are coming in and when; I’ll set up a spreadsheet for you.” Blaine said, “Look at it this way so far you don’t have to deduct ten percent for an agent and ten percent for a manager or five percent for a lawyer.”

“That’s twenty five percent!” Puck said.

Blaine said, “If it wasn’t profitable do you really think my bosses would have their office in Beverly freaking Hills?”

Finn snorted and plopped down next to Puck and threw an arm around his shoulders and said, “You did it, Dude. You got your foot in the door and you did it yourself. This will make a great story when your Morrie’s age and telling some kid about your first sale. I’m really proud of you, I’m gonna call Mom, you call Morrie.”

Blaine called his dad, and then Cooper. The first because this was a milestone and should be celebrated, and to thank his dad for putting the difference between what he had bought the condo for and what he sold the condo for in Blaine’s bank account. So the pressure was off and Blaine may be using that cash to finance his own agency or something. He called Cooper to ask for lawyer recommendations and to find out how necessary one was and if it was worth the five percent. The answer was very necessary and very worth it, at least when it was five present of ten thousand and not five present of ten million.

Puck called Morrie and there were suspicious tears in his eyes when he got off. Puck’s dad had been a real loser, skating when his sister was born and only showing up to borrow money. But Puck had said, after too many shots one night that he would live every minute of his crappy childhood over again if it meant he got to have Morrie in his life. Having the urbane and intelligent man treat him like a son, or rather the way a son should be treated had healed something in Puck that none of them realized was broken. Puck was still a womanizer and still had a disturbing habit of hitting on women much older than him, but he wasn’t nearly as self-destructive.

Blaine might be willing to take some credit for Finn being more self-confident but the changes in Puck were mostly self-made or due to Morrie’s mentoring. So they went out for dinner and drinks, splurging on roast duck and plum wine but in walking distance so if they over indulge there was no need to retrieve a car later.

It was a tossup whether most of the junior staff hated him or pitied him. Sue had that effect on everyone. There was a lot of prestige being in her presence and he was meeting directors and producers and some of the biggest names in Hollywood. But most of the junior staff while longing to be at her side at those meetings didn’t want to actually be at her side because she was such a hardass. Blaine didn’t mind. He was actually revising how he felt about staying with the agency. It still felt like a soul sink, but if he stuck it out a year or two the connections he made would be invaluable.

So it was a surprise when Sue called both him and the intern wrangler into her office, two weeks before his internship would be up. Sue advised Blaine she had already sent a glowing recommendation for his school. She then proceeded to shred the young man in charge of corralling the interns; right in front of Blaine. She chastised him for the damage to their reputation as an agency in the film community and a business in the academic community that he had done by treating an intern like a file clerk.

She explained, in detail Blaine’s education and professional experience. Including that he had real world production experienced. While he was billed as the producer of the charity benefit his senior year in high school and a student film he had financed during their junior year in college; Blaine had no idea how she found out about those because that he hadn’t mentioned either. The student film, which Finn had stared in, was actually doing well on the independent film festivals but neither of them anticipated it making much money, or even recapping the investment.

Blaine was pretty sure she had just fired the guy and was sitting very still trying desperately not to attract her attention. She ordered tea for both of them and waited until one the new interns brought it with Sue’s favorite chewy lace cookies. “Well, Blaine, now that that’s taken care of tell me, do you have a way to support yourself once you leave here,” she asked.

Blaine said, “I have a reserve, I sold some property recently and I figure it will hold me. I thought I might try my hand at managing some talent. Did I mention my roommate just optioned a screen play? I thought I could do some leg work for him,” Blaine said.

“Still that won’t take all your time,” she said. “You’re a go-getter Anderson, not many can keep pace with me. You never forget and you’re always prepared. What you lack is experience and you need to have those rose colored glasses batted off your face.”

Blaine smiled, he could take criticism and she was often insightful. And compared to Sue Sylvester she was as polite as the Queen Mum. So they chatted for a while and he thanked her for all she had done for him and sincerely expressed the desire to keep in touch with her and told her that her common sense was welcome among all the posturing and politics in the business.

As they finished their tea she passed him an envelope. He opened it and looked at her in surprise. She said, “It’s part time, unpaid and would run a minimum of fifteen to twenty weeks. They’ll want you available six days a week but compared to working for me it will feel like a vacation. But it’s more than head shots. You’ll be sitting in on readings, spending times in casting sessions and it will give you far more up close and personal time with the talent than needed to make you as jaded as me.”

“Sue this is Prime Casting, they’re the biggest casting agency in-” Blaine started.

Sue said, “The world. Oh every little city with a film council has their own casting nowadays but this is where the magic happens.”

His time at UTA certainly hadn’t been wasted. If nothing else he had Sue Feldman’s personal number on his mobile. He was recognized as familiar, even though most of them didn’t know his name to many directors and producers. And he had a solid overview of the backend of the business.

Prime Casting was in Burbank; Blaine had couriered things there before for Sue. He had even met the man he called to confirm that he did have an internship with them and when they wanted him to start. It was about the same distance from their place as the agency but since he didn’t have to cross Central LA, it should only take about fifteen or twenty minutes to get there.

He hated to use his capital for living expenses but even unpaid this was like attending grad school. The experience would serve him in the long run. At least that was how he was pitching it. It was only three days a week but it varied when without notice, which would make getting a part time job impossible, unless he was one of those Uber drivers. His mother would have a stoke thinking he would be car jacked if he was an Uber driver.

So on the way home he stopped and picked up a couple pounds of fresh chunked tenderloin because their ‘patio’ was large enough for his mother to have sent the gas grill. He left his groceries on the counter and turned on the grill. While it heated he took a shower and put on loose jeans and a tee shirt.

Once he had the beef, onions and peppers all ready to be skewered the grill should be hot. He’d picked up some potato salad and nana, and there was always beer in the fridge and in a nod to on-setting adulthood usually a couple bottles of white wine in case they had visitors.

Puck had been working away in his office/bedroom but he followed his nose when the scent of the onions filled the apartment. Blaine asked, “Where’s Finn?”

“I thought you were him, he’s helping one of the neighbors move furniture,” Puck said.

Blaine said, “I’m going to start these now because they won’t all fit at once.”

“I’ll do it,” Puck said, picking up the plate of kabobs, “Is this fillet? What are we celebrating?”

“Me not being paid for another three to four months,” Blaine said and at Puck’s look added, “I start a new internship with Prime Casting next Wednesday. It will be invaluable experiences. If I learn even a fraction as much as I did with Sue it could help all of us.”

“If you need Finn and I to handle the rent we can do it, we’re both still working at UPS. Four years man and we didn’t pay you a dime,” Puck said.

Blaine shrugged and said, “I really appreciate the offer, but think of this as if I was in grad school. And you and Finn and Sam didn’t cost me or my parents a dime, they made money on our place, it sold for a lot more than they paid for it. Tell you what, when you make it big I’ll move into your mansion in the Hollywood Hills, or maybe your pool house.”

When Finn came in he was all sweaty. Smelling the meat on the grill he headed straight for it. Blaine said, “No. You go shower, it’ll be a couple minutes. Finn’s whole body projected dejection and loss, like he’d been given a command in an acting class. Blaine laughed and said, “Stop trying to use your manly wiles on me.”

So Finn strutted off to the bathroom flexing and posing and beating his chest and proclaiming how manly he was. Puck coming back inside asked, “Do I even want to know?”

“No. You do not,” Blaine said, “Will you set up the table?”

That involved clearing the coffee table of all the debris and putting the remotes on the end table and the empty snack bags in the garbage. Puck lifted and locked the leaves and pulled the club chairs around so that they faced the sofa instead of the television. Blaine had set out plates and cutlery as well as a basket filled with the nana and a bowl with the potato salad.

By the time the table was set Blaine had finished six more skewers and Puck took them and the tongs to juggle the cooked off and the raw onto the grill. “Pants,” Blaine called when Finn tried to head for the table in just a towel and he looped back and came out shirtless with loose threadbare sweats clinging to his not dried lower half. Blaine thought about snapping out underwear but it wasn’t like it was anything Puck and he hadn’t seen by now. Puck had meat on the table and Blaine had cleaned up the prep areas so they all sat. Finn sat next to him on the couch and Puck across from them in a chair. At times like this it was tempting to call Sam and put his phone in the fourth place to relive their college days.

Blaine updated Finn on his news. Puck got up to retrieve the rest of the kabobs and talked about what he was working on. Finn had an audition the next day for a speaking role. Just two lines, one of them a simple yes, it would be a parking attendant that a cop confirmed some information with but it was a stepping stone. Puck had to work that night. Neither he nor Finn were working full time but they were still making more than all the waiters and valets and other mundane jobs actors took to pay the bills.

Puck left for work and Finn helped clean up and load the dishwasher. Finn came in from checking to make sure that the grill was off as Blaine was putting the table back into its coffee table position. Finn stopped and Blaine felt him watching him so he turned to him. Finn said, “Blaine… would you have dinner with me?”

“We just ate,” Blaine said.

Finn’s brow furrowed, he looked frustrated and he said, “With me. Will you go out with me sometime? You and me, not you, me and Puck, will you go out, on a date, with me.”

And Blaine stood there; with his mouth open probably looking like an idiot. Six foot four wall of muscle, handsome leading man Finn Hudson just asked him out. He really should say something. “I… yeah, sure,” was what finally emerged and he had hoped to be more suave. “We could do it now. Date, I mean date. We could go out, wander around maybe get a drink. Or not; we could stay in, I mean-”

“No. Let’s go out. I don’t want to hook up or be friends with benefits or… I want to date. You and me, I love you, man. It just seems stupid for me to be out there looking for new people when I measure all of them against you,” Finn said.

“You can’t wear those though, and you have to wear underwear,” Blaine said.

Finn gave him a brilliant smile and said, “Put on comfortable shoes, we’ll see what’s going on.”

If there was a place made for walking in LA it was Chinatown. Later that night when Finn threw an arm across his shoulders as they passed the iconic arch, Blaine wondered if the past five years, since that night in Pat’s when he’d taken Finn’s hand had been building to this. It was just as relaxed and easy as it had always been, but a new fission of desire bubbled under their friendship. They had been in constant contact since they left their apartment; Finn’s hand on the small of his back or when they linked their fingers or Finn brushed a curl off of Blaine’s face.

It was after midnight when they made it home and Blaine felt flushed from the Mai Tais they had had when they stopped for ginger ice cream. They ended up making out on the couch in the living room and laughing themselves silly when they realized that they were each trying to smoothly whisk the other to their own bedroom. Blaine won that battle and they headed for his. And the rest of the night was just so easy. They had seen each other’s triumphs and defeats, seen the other worried, happy, scared and excited. Through it all they had talked to each other and listened, offered advice and held their tongues.

Once they stripped down and lay on Blaine’s bed they took their time, drinking in the sight of each other with eyes and fingertips. Finally allowed to explore, Blaine trailed his fingers down Finn’s neck over his chest and stomach and palmed him hot and hard, listening as Finn’s breath caught. It would be easy to feel inadequate next to him, but Finn was just as eager to touch every inch of Blaine.

They took it slow, Finn wasn’t a hair-triggered seventeen-year-old anymore and they had both passed the age of zero refractory periods. They wanted it to last and were both familiar enough with their own bodies to know what they were comfortable with. When it seemed right Blaine said, “I want you to top. But this should in no way be taken as a permanent preference.”

Finn gasped, “Okay. You have lube right? I’ll be right back.”

“I have-” Blaine started but Finn had dashed off naked, to his own room Blaine presumed. So he reached over into the nightstand on Finn’s side of the bed and pulled out the lube.

Finn came back with box, which he tossed in the open drawer while holding the packet he had removed. Blaine realized that there might have been a sizing issue with his brand and spread his legs, motioning Finn to take his place between them.

“Hold out your hand,” Blaine said, and squirted some lube on Finn’s fingers. He set the bottle beside him, took the condom package from Finn’s other hand and said, “I’ll take care of this, you get me ready.”

And it just worked. The same effortless way they prepared a meal or shopped for groceries or rehearsed for class or an audition. ‘You do this’ and ‘I’ll do that’ just came naturally. It was the least stressful and hottest sex Blaine had ever had. He wasn’t worried about if his partner liked him or what he thought of him or even if he was thinking about him. This was Finn. Afterward Blaine was too blissed out to move and Finn went to the bathroom and came back with an almost hot, damp cloth and a hand towel and cleaned them both up. Blaine tugged him down into the bed and Finn tossed the soiled cloths back into the bathroom.

And the next morning all Blaine could think about was why hadn’t they been doing this for years. He knew the instant Finn awoke as his arms tightened fractionally and Blaine felt Finn smile into his shoulder. “Let’s stay in bed today,” Finn murmured.

“You have an audition,” Blaine said, “you’re going to be the best parking lot attendant to ever appear on screen.”

Finn snorted into his shoulder and Blaine rolled carefully to face him and said, “Come on, I’ll make you French toast.”

“Let’s go out for breakfast, I don’t have to be there until ten,” Finn said.

Once they showered and emerged they found Puck already leaning against the kitchen counter and he said, “It’s about fucking time. Seriously I was expecting this since junior year.”

“You were?” Blaine said, “Well, I for one would have appreciated a heads up.”

Puck invited himself to breakfast with them. They hit a little diner nearby, proving that Finn and Blaine getting together was not going to change anything, except they now held hands under the table. Well until Puck said, “So, you move in with Blaine, I’ll take your room and we’ll use mine as the office/guest room.”

“One date,” Blaine said, “we have had one date and you want us to move in together? Noah, you hopeless romantic.”

“It was an awesome date,” Finn said, and yes they were probably staring at each other like newlyweds, hearts in their eyes, dopey grins and all.

Puck rolled his eyes, winked at the waitress and got a refill and said, “If you think that was your first date you really haven’t been paying attention. Anderson, I could see he was into you when we were working on the Rat Pack thing, so could Cooper.”

“What?” Blaine squawked, looking from Puck’s smirk to Finn’s ‘aw shucks, busted’ blush Blaine added, “That long? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Finn mumbled something and Blaine elbowed him so he said louder, “you were into Sam and then, the way I realized you weren’t any more was you were into Aidan. And then I was seeing Rick and then I didn’t want us to be a rebound… it just got complicated. But I figured if I didn’t take my chance now-”

“If he didn’t take his chance now you would have ended up two old men still sharing a room at a nursing home each wondering why you never hit that and too old to get it up,” Puck cut in.

Blaine started to laugh and then said, “Oh, God he really is a hopeless romantic!”

“Shut up, Anderson, I just won two hundred bucks off your brother because he thought it would take at least a year from when we moved out here for the big lug to make a moved. He was right when he figured on you remaining oblivious until he did though,” Puck said.

Oddly enough over the next two weeks, Finn’s stuff did make the journey across the great room to Blaine’s closet, bathroom and chest of drawers. Blaine’s parents were happy, both pretending to be surprised, but obviously having seen it coming, Carole was surprised but not Burt and Kurt who was actually dating Aidan seemed happy for them; he didn’t however share what Rachel thought. After that Sugar was there first guest, she was a senior now and was starting an internship with Paramount Pictures in their costume department. Between the classes she transferred from Parsons and the work she’d done over the summers she would have her degree by the end of her internship. She of course blasted the news that Finn and Blaine were a couple out to everyone. The congratulations they got from Coach Beiste, Will Schuster and Sue Sylvester indicated that when she said, ‘I have to tell everyone’ she meant everyone.

Sugar pretty much relied on them for everything as far as getting settled in the city. Blaine was worried because he remembered how depressed she’d been before she transferred from New York. Since he had time now that he wasn’t following Sue around he found Sugar a one bedroom, in spitting distance of the studio in a very secure 30’s era condo complex. It was very like an exclusive hotel and Mr. Motta would be paying approximately what the three of them paid for three bedrooms for one bedroom and one parking space.

Blaine spoke with Mr. Motta on the phone and suggested he come visit. That him having a mental picture of where Sugar was living and working would put her mind at ease as much as his. He also called Jolene and she gave him contact information for Sugar for an alumnae club for the sorority in west LA and a chapter at UCLA. Jolene contacted both explaining Sugar’s social problems and arranging for one person from each of the two groups to reach out to Sugar and help her acclimate.

Blaine really liked working for Prime Casting, it was grueling and sometimes heartbreaking, especially when the same people were trying over and over and failing. He tried to give constructive feedback but had to restrain himself on several occasions from just charging in and taking over a train wreck, especially if he saw potential. He learned to recognize blown pupils from drug use, smell alcohol even past too much perfume and signs of desperation where one more rejection might just push the actor over the edge.

He had more free time than when he was working for Sue which he needed because he had a boyfriend now. Finn was actually working that day, playing a guy who backed his car into a pole in an insurance commercial. So Blaine was out in the neighborhood, perusing some of the local grocers. Chinatown, Koreatown and Little Tokyo being so close gave them a large concentration of specialty food stores and bakeries. Blaine had just though how relaxing the day was, when Sue’s number flashed on his ringing phone.

Blaine was probably the only one of her former assistance who sounded happy when she called. He really did miss her and was delighted to hear from her, which surprised her to no end. She said she was on his side of the city and wanted to stop by so he gave her details on how to get to his apartment and said he would meet her in the lobby. He stopped at a tea shop and picked up eight ounces of a nice oolong and at a favorite bakery and in a nod to her sweet tooth picked up a selection of colorful puto, some deep fried coconut rice balls on a stick and some chocolate filled alfajores. None were as good as his mom’s but you certainly couldn’t find them in Lima, or Pittsburgh.

He had just made it back to his building as she was crossing the street from the parking garage. She shook her head as he held up the box and said, “I got tea, and cookies, it’ll be like old times.”

“Old times?” she said ruefully but followed him up.

He put the kettle on and asked if she wanted to freshen up. Sue often said his prep school manners were ridiculous, but did excuse herself to wash up. As she came back she watched him transform the coffee table. He pulled out a real tea pot with an infuser inside, swirled some hot water in it before loading it with generous scoops of leaves and then filling it from the kettle. While it brewed, he grouped each of the sweets on separate plates and put them in the center with tiny serving plates for him and Sue.

Everything was set for one of their good talks when Puck came out of his office and said, “Are you cooking? Are those the donuts on a stick?”

“No, go away, no boys,” Blaine said,

Puck ignored him and said, “Hello, gorgeous.”

“Puck seriously, house rules,” Blaine said.

Sue asked, “House rules?”

“He’s not allowed to hit on anyone’s boss,” Blaine said.

Puck said, “She’s not your boss, you’re working for that guy, Marty or something.”

“Susan Feldman, Blaine worked for me at United Artists,” Sue offered.

Puck smiled, “Noah Puckerman, I think you were the only thing he liked about that place.”

“Puck, shut up, go work,” Blaine said.

After smarming a bit more Puck retreated to his office and they sat down for tea. In the course of gossiping about the industry and mutual acquaintances; Sue, not so discreetly, stared to pry about Puck. Blaine said, “No. Seriously, I mean this with all sincerity, Sue, you’re too young for him.”

Sue found this highly amusing and their talk turned to how both Finn and Puck’s careers were going. He mentioned that he and Finn had started dating. Sue found the idea of dating someone who lived in the same apartment was the makings of a bad sitcom. And Blaine admitted that Puck was doing well and had contacts of his own. But Blaine asked Sue’s advice about one of his projects in particular.

Puck had a number of scrips in his arsenal but the one that was hardest to pitch was the ‘romdramady’, because really who could be taken seriously when they said that. Honestly if Blaine could figure a way to get it read, half the battle would be over. It read like Oscar Wilde had written a Tarantino flick. The banter alone was enough to take an audience on a rollercoaster ride, add in explosions, car chases and gun battles and it was gold. Puck had written it as a vehicle for Eliza Dushku because he thought she was exquisite. Well Puck said he wanted to be buried under her, but Blaine chose to interpret that as exquisite.

The plot centered on a jaded but honest government agent (on Blaine’s recommendation Puck left it vague so that whichever production company optioned it they could use the one that cost the least) stumbling across her superior officer involved with a terrorist group (or some other general badness, Puck was flexible) at exactly the wrong moment. Not alone the only other witness is a hapless young man out for a morning jog. The rest of the movie is the two of them trying to contact someone in her organization who is not involved, but they don’t know how high up the corruption goes, and trying to staying alive because they’re being pursued.

In the course of the pursuit, after the male lead hot wires a couple cars, rigs a trip wire, disarms a man with his bare hands and a number of other Puck approved badass things, the hot thirtysomething female lead finally says, ‘you’re not a college student?’, to which he responds, ‘I am actually but I attend online, my day job makes my schedule really hard to predict’ so that’s when the audience realizes that he’s military. Its heavily implied he’s Special Forces, but never said. His mother, whom he was home visiting while on leave is the one to save both them, but doing one of those common sense things people in audiences of action movies had been yelling at screens for decades.

For a Puck script there was surprisingly no sex, in a nod to how once you’re out of high school it is too ridiculous, no matter how hot the leads are, to believe people would risk theirs and others lives to get laid. Still, from the opening scene when the lead male stopped into a bodega to buy a sport’s drink on his run and the female lead checked out six foot plus of gleaming muscles the fast paced banter never stopped. Their snarky flirtation continued even when they were running from burning buildings, rolling across a parking garage floor as bullets ricocheted around them or being pursuit though the Los Angeles drainage canals on a motorcycle.

The older female/younger male relationship was sort of signature in Puck’s scripts. Blaine sometimes assumed that had a lot to do with how criminally young Puck had been when he started ‘cleaning pools’. If Blaine had any idea how he could suggest therapy without getting pantsed, he would. Puck, older and more mature, was unlikely to throw a punch these days, but had a slew of practical jokes that kept Blaine from interfering in his life to the same level he did Sam and Finn.

Sue’s first piece of advice was never to use the word ‘romdramady’ again. She said they should pitch it as Speed on foot. And that there were a lot of big name actresses of a certain age looking to still play a romantic lead. Many studios had entered into multipicture deals only to find a woman had aged out of spank bank material and were giving them supporting roles as mothers or worse grandmothers. Such a May/December action film could be used to placate any one of them.

Finn came in just as they were wrapping up their little tete-a-tete and Blaine introduced him to Sue. He was his normal charming self but said in a whisper that carried, “Oh God, Puck hit on her didn’t he?”

“Of course he did,” Blaine said shaking his head, “don’t worry it happens to Sue all the time.”

Blaine walked Sue down to the lobby and thanked her for her visit. He’d noticed a speculative gleam in her eye at Finn’s words about Puck but she didn’t press about the assumption. On the way back up in the elevator, Blaine mused that it was likely Puck was going to get called in to United Artists for some reason or other but figured Sue was a big girl and if she pursued Puck, he could hardly say anything.

 


	7. Success

 

Finn got a three episode arc in some vampire show that involved him flying to Canada to shoot. He should be back in a little more than a week since his scenes were being shot in a block. Puck had to quit UPS. He did it the right way and didn’t burn any bridges, because you never knew what the future would bring. He said he would miss them and intended to stay in touch because they were good guys. But one of his concepts had been optioned, he’d written a pilot, revised it. And now was optioned for thirteen episodes to be used as a summer replacement series on Fox. Thirteen episodes he had to write yesterday.

They were all scrambling, Blaine had been functioning as his manager and agent, Cooper’s lawyer signed on and recommended a tax guy that worked in the industry; because if the series got picked up Puck would need it. He was already swamped and it had only been a couple weeks. Blaine was still putting time in with Prime Casting and almost laughed when the specs for Puck’s series had come across his desk. Talk about being involved in all aspects of a project. He’d even bought some of the alcohol that had fueled this particularly outrageous concept.

How it happened, was frankly ridiculous and very in keeping with their lives. But then as Blaine understood it that was frequently how it happened. In their senior year, Jolene had gone home alone during Spring Carnival. Sam had been resigned, he knew they were going to Connecticut but he also knew it was the ending of an era, that he was leaving his bros behind. As much as he loved Jolene and was excited about starting a life with her, Sam was wise enough to know his college days were passing and that he would look back on this time as time with a family that would soon scatter to the winds.

Puck had wanted to throw Sam a bachelor party. In Puck’s opinion Sam had spent his best tail chasing years virtually married anyway so should have the fun of one before he and Jolene went off and made a life. Sam had been more than skeptical. He had also pointed out that only two and a half of them were at all interested in stripper’s bars and loose women. So instead of a party or a night bar crawling, they ended up with four cases of beer, because each of them had gone and got one as they were all twenty one and none of them consulted with the others, and just the four of them playing poker.

At least it started with poker. Blaine was now able to say he had experienced the expression too drunk to fish. Since they had been by the end of the evening, too drunk to write, most of the night was recorded – video. Which all drunk people should do, it would make them drink less. Early enough in the evening they set up a digital camcorder to record and stuck it on a tripod, with a swivel; it started aimed at the recliner but could with just a touch be aimed toward the piano, because he knew who his roommates were. Blaine was pretty sure; the original intent had been to make a memory for Sam. Like the way people at weddings talked to a camera to send messages to the bride and groom, it was intended to be a ‘we love you Sammy/remember us’.

So in Blaine’s normal organized fashion. He made sure the camera was hooked up to AC power and was positioned so it was unlikely to be kicked or tripped over. Beside the camera were two colored, clearly labeled containers. One open and easy to get into with blank memory cards, one closed with a slot in the top to put used memory cards in it. The camera was set to beep whenever it had low memory. And it started out as planned. Each of them, alone, in pairs and at times all three together had each sat in the chair talking to Sam, sometimes to future Sam, sometimes shouted across the room to the Sam right there.

It was almost like a study in alcohol and its impact, until, and Blaine would forever blame Sam, they started creating television show concepts for Puck to write screen plays about. At first ideas centered around them, together and individually and Puck would just point out why something wouldn’t work. A show based upon four guys sharing a condo during college was not shot down because it was unlikely that people would believe three straight guys sharing a place with a gay guy, or that one would end up bi, but because college only lasted, or was only supposed to last, four years and you needed a five year run to package it for sale in reruns.

But as the evening went on, they decided not to make people’s lives shows, but to make the shows for people. And after some outrageous ideas for the people they knew at CMU it moved of course to glee club. Finn’s idea of a show about a high school teacher who decides to revive the show choir and in the process crashes and burns his marriage with a woman who pretended to get pregnant and the whole Miss. P, Mr. Schue and Doc Carl love triangle did sound too freaky to be believable. And seemed to indicate Finn had really thought Carl was hot. It also launched the idea of coming up for shows for everyone in glee club or everyone they knew in glee club. While Puck and Finn had never had the opportunity to learn to appreciate Joe’s subtle snarky sense of humor, Sam and Blaine had no idea who Matt even was.

But as the night went on, and it was all recorded because Blaine was freakishly organized especially when drunk, in between singing and the sloppy ‘I love you mans’ they came up with an impressive number of show ideas, and they got progressively catty. It wasn’t only girls that could be vicious and after watching it once their hang overs were over they swore that no one could know the recording existed. Puck had watched it the most often, trying to translate the often incompressible over-talking and hand waiving ‘oh my God, you should write’ messages that had taken over the bulk of the recording.

There was a particularly cruel idea of a criminally ambitious Broadway star. She was getting too old to play the ingénue and tried to kill a rival who might be recast in her role. Rachel, er, the girl in the show was able to get off with a commuted sentence because her overbearing fathers had pull with the governor and she claimed she had a breakdown from the pressure of being a star. As part of her plea bargain, she had to maintain a minimum safe distance from New York City of one hundred miles and go back and live with her dads in the Midwest and coach show choir at her old high school.

The school was filled with the kids who reminded her of her old classmates, which gave the opportunity for comedic flashbacks to her in high school days. She was subjected to overbearing parents, mini versions of herself who thought she was a talentless hack, and two old boyfriends who she had strung along and played against each other in the manner of a classic Broadway love triangle, only to find they were happily together. Part of her sentence was mandatory meetings with a therapist, the pretty popular head cheerleader from her high school days, who she would recap the plot at the end of every show, only instead of the actions the audience had just watched it would be her own interpretation in high drama and the star completely baffled why real life wasn’t a nice clean two act package.

Of course fate was a bitch and that was the show Fox had picked up. Rachel was probably going to sue them all. Which is why they changed the star’s two dads to doting heterosexual stage parents and the lead character was now named Monica. Ironically the two old boyfriends were loosely based on Finn and Puck, one of her flashbacks would revisit the whole ‘Run, Joey, Run’ debacle only using the song ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’.

Puck had been spotted with Sue a couple times, but one he was largely unknown and two the people who watched for these things assumed he was her client or going to be her client. The fact that one of the places they had been spotted together was Passover Shabbat at Young Israel of North Beverly Hills hadn’t registered as unusual for some reason.

Blaine had been operating as Puck’s personal assistant but his internship was coming to an end and he needed to get a paying job. He also wanted to go away with Finn for a weekend once he was back. Maybe Vegas, just be alone and spend some time together. As it was between their jobs and both of them trying to help Puck with all the work his success was throwing at him when they did find themselves in bed together all they could do was hold on to each other as they slept.

As Puck’s pilot was being cast rumors in the industry had Puck the talk of the right circles. Blaine took Sue’s advice and while functioning as both Puck’s agent and manager pitched the ‘romdramady’ as ‘Speed’ with a twist in a joint meeting with 20th Century Fox and Boston Diva Productions. Because why not, it wasn’t as if everything else wasn’t going Pucks way right now.

It was optioned by 20th Century Fox because they had been looking for a vehicle for Eliza Dushku. Boston Diva Productions rep liked the script, the verbal by play caring the plot forward while developing the character. Blaine speaking as Puck’s representative was able to put Finn’s name at the top of the list of likely costars. It turned out Marcel Aberney, the guy from Twentieth Century had heard of Finn and the representative for Boston Diva, who may have been Dushku’s manager, was willing to go along with Aberney’s opinion

And that was how Blaine ended up rolling Finn out of bed after a long shift and shoving him into the shower, so he could go do a reading for Marcel Aberney. It turned out Aberney, had seen the student film Finn had stared in at a film festival so Finn was asked back to do a chemistry test with Ms. Dushku in two weeks she would be in town.

Everything Blaine’s schooling and experience told him things just didn’t move that fast, but apparently a film that had been in preproduction for ages just fell through and there was a five year window in which 20th Century Fox had a committed to put something in production for Ms. Dushku or they would lose the option. So they had to at least start production soon. The most appealing thing to Boston Diva Productions was not so much this was a good way to show that the talent was still hot and athletic, but the script showed both comedy and drama and made a badass female likable. On the other hand 20th Century Fox liked that it would be cheap to shoot. At least cheap compared to most film costs, there main star would take her cut off the backend; the locations were mostly industrial and able to be shot anywhere. Empty office parks, sound stages and there weren’t even excessive amounts of extras.

Blaine was having trouble keeping Puck abreast of things. It had been much easier to perform all the jobs when Puck was there all the time, but between his professional obligations and Sue they never saw each other. Puck was spending almost every night with her and while Puck could work wherever his lap top was Blaine worried that he wasn’t working. So Blaine headed to Sue’s place, picking up a platter of sandwiches and soup to go. He rousted Puck out of bed and gave him a good talking to about his self-sabotaging nature and how he needed to keep his head on straight. Blaine put Puck’s phone in his hand and told him to call Morrie.

So while Puck was getting advice on how to live with being successful instead of how to succeed. Blaine went into Sue’s largely empty kitchen and started reheating the soup and plating sandwiches. Puck wandered out on to the lanai and lounged on a settee while he talked with Morrie.

Sue came home, and Blaine couldn’t remember her ever leaving the office this early – certainly not to go home. She was surprised to find him puttering in her kitchen but he nodded out to where Puck was and said, “Someone has to keep him on track,” and then he looked pointedly at her and said, “Can’t have him distracted by a hot piece of ass.”

Sue just laughed and helped herself to one of the dainty triangles he’d plated. Seeing that Puck had settled in and was listening to Morrie, Blaine asked, “has Puck mentioned his dad to you?”

“No, is that who he’s talking to?” she asked.

Blaine frowned, it wasn’t really his place but he considered them both friends and Puck was unlikely to warn her off his emotional landmines so he shook his head and said, “That’s Morrie. If Puck’s old man ever shows, he’ll most likely be after money. And Puck might need you to post bail if he throws a punch.”

“Noah?” She asked, and he really had changed since high school if she couldn’t imagine him punching someone.

Blaine said, “He’s Noah with you, but he became Puck as a result of his dad. His dad left; left him, his mother and sister before his sister’s umbilical cord had healed. And Puck at the ripe old age of ten tried to become the man of the family. What’s that Johnny Cash song say, ‘had to get tough or die’? I don’t know how much he’s shared with you, but I remember his senior year in high school, there was an exercise where all the graduates were being asked what they thought their lives would be like. You know he almost didn’t graduate, and when asked about his future he thought he’d be dead or in prison by thirty.”

Puck came in having wrapped his call with Morrie saying, “He’s coming to visit. I told him he can stay at our place.”

“Good, because as soon as Finn is back from Canada he’s doing a chemistry test for your ‘romdramady’,” Blaine said.

Sue said, “Please, I beg you, stop calling it that. Wait that was optioned?”

“Yes, 20th Century Fox and Boston Diva Productions,” Blaine said.

Puck perked up and asked, “You met Faith?”

“No. She doesn’t live in LA they’re flying her in for it,” Blaine said

Sue looked interested and asked, “Are they giving it a decent budget, because a good script cannot compensate for bad production?”

“Well, my manager got them interested, maybe I need a big bad agent to make them do it right,” Puck said and bit into a sandwich, “at least she’s taller than Rachel. We won’t have the weird Berry/Hudson height differential, or you know, Anderson/Hudson.”

After flipping him off, Blane filled a bowl from the pot of soup and said, “Very funny. I’m taller than Eliza Dushku I’m average height. You’re just tall. Be nice, I’m feeding you. And I brought your guitar. Did you forget its Wednesday?”

“What’s Wednesday?” Sue asked.

Blaine and Puck said together, “Beth.”

This was how Sue came to hear the story of Beth and find out that her much younger lover had a seven year old daughter. Blaine left about halfway through the tale of babygate after exacting a promise from Puck to stop being Sue’s arm candy all night at her work events and then sleeping all day when he needed to work on his scripts for ‘ShowChoir’ before it went into production.

Blaine who hadn’t finished up his internship with Prime was somehow working as one of their clients representing Puck’s input on casting the show. The network was looking for a hot young star, but it wouldn’t fit the concept of her being desperate enough to kill for a part. Blaine was thinking if the woman was older, she could even end up teaching kids of her contemporaries and there could be a whole path not taken subplot. So daily they were sending glossies of perky blond cheerleader types and mentally Blaine was picturing an older Rachel, or well, come to think of it Shelby. So he looked in to who was representing Shelby and sent them character spec for her to look over.

Just as he was finishing his internship with Prime, and he loved it and was grateful but he just didn’t have the time to accept a job with them. Managing Puck and Finn’s careers and the fact that he was involved in pre-production of the ‘romdramady’ movie and not one but two new television series meant like Puck he didn’t have time to work for someone else. Thank God he had the cushion from his parents, because while all he was doing, and now that they were working he would be paid ten percent of all that Puck and Finn would be paid for what he had worked as their manager on and that had the potential to be quite a bit of money, none of it would be coming for months if not years.

Shelby had read for ‘Showchoir’ and was a front runner. Whether it was nepotism or whether she thought having a good fit would up her chances as the lead, she recommended Rachel to play the younger Monica in the flashbacks. Fortunately, Artie came to visit near the time Rachel was reading so they could legitimately not open their home to her. While Shelby and Beth has stayed with Puck and Sue when she came to read, Rachel crashed on Sugar’s sofa.

The second show, that he was involved with started for a number of reasons and even though this time Blaine had been cold sober he couldn’t possibly list them all. But since the major part the shows concept, several episodic arcs came from him and he had modified many of Puck’s idea not because he was more creative, because he wasn’t, but because he had more experience with cost management and what expenses with producing a television show were apt to make it unreasonable to produce and were the real reason that still popular shows were no longer on the air.

And that’s how, in addition to having a line in the credits of the new ‘ShowChoir’ series as part of the concept team, along with Finn and Sam, he ended up listed as a producer and creator of Puck’s latest series. The yet unnamed project was currently coded ‘Toddler Wars’. Which either sounded like a cage match for kiddies or a post-prequel, showing the lives of Luke and Leah before they were separated as kids.

It had started before Shelby had auditioned for ‘ShowChoir’ around sixish on a Wednesday. Both Puck and Blaine had been home, the door to the office was open, which meant Puck wasn’t working on ‘ShowChoir’ scripts. Blaine was in Finn’s old room, changing the sheets and laying out towels in anticipation of Morrie’s visit and he heard Puck patiently explaining to Beth why her guitar and the guitar he was using to teach her to play over the internet sounded different. Beth was seven and Puck had taken her a child sized guitar, not a toy, when he visited after his own graduation but before theirs from CMU. Promising to keep contact, and even if he couldn’t see her in person, he met with her weekly to teach her to play over the internet. He calmly explained the size of the guitar’s body would impact how deep or light it sounded.

She was a really coming along. They played duets together more than any actual class. Shelby took the hard training like voice and dance but Puck shared the joy music brought and showed her some people used it not as a career but as a way to unwind. Beth was a pretty savvy seven year old having spent so much time with other Broadway babies. Shelby had her in a performing arts school and Beth seemed more drawn to the quiet musicians as friends instead of the over competitive triple threats, of which she was training to be.

Puck got the importance of friends, as he was still technically living with the first friend he’d ever made. Shelby, a bit of a stage gypsy, really hadn’t hung on to anyone in her life and seemed to think childhood friendships were trivial. So most of Puck’s ‘lessons’ with Beth turned into her pouring her heart out to him and him contradicting Shelby’s opinion on friends. In Puck’s words, the right friends could mean everything. And given how most of the influential people in Puck’s life had been friends, from Finn to Morrie, as opposed to his parents Blaine agreed with him.

Finn was late. He hadn’t even left the studio and would have that horrible rush hour traffic on the freeway once he did. He called to say he was thinking of stopping at the studio gym and letting it die down before he came home, if they ever let him go. Finn had been in for hair, make up and wardrobe concept pictures. Which meant he had to play life size dress up doll, while they all put together various looks and had photos taken and shot test footage of each look. It was pretty important because there was only the one costume, whatever this guy wore jogging. They were thinking of starting with a long sleeve hoodie, to hide some of his muscles and then having him remove it during the chase to reveal Finn. Finn was current on a high protein diet worthy of Sam and working out like crazy because they wanted him in insanely good shape for his character.

So when Puck wrapped up his father-daughter time he and Blaine started talking about how much he missed Beth. Now that he could afford a trip to New York, he just didn’t have the time. Cheap flights from Pittsburgh to New York were usually available on the discount sites and it only took an hour and a half to get there. Puck had gone, crashing at Artie’s, to see Beth as often as he could over his time at school.

So he was looking forward to Shelby bringing Beth to visit. Shelby was actually coming to read for ‘Showchoir’ an experienced triple threat herself her background with Vocal Adrenaline should play well as a backstory. She was smart enough not to be disdainful of television. Broadway would be there and waiting for her but if she became a household name she wouldn’t be an aging face in cattle calls, but sought after by directors and producers for her recognizable name to boost ticket sales.

This was a lucky break for Puck, because LA to New York was a full day commitment either way for traveling and he had only been able to swing it once since they moved. It broke all of their hearts to hear Beth say, ‘that’s okay Dad, it’s your career’ because between Shelby’s life choices, the stupid daycare she ran and the performance arts school Beth was attending, Puck wasn’t the only one that thought Beth was being raised to think careers trumped everything.

And that was how the idea for ‘Toddler Wars’ started. The overall concept was a daycare linked to the an elementary school like ‘Fame’ but this dealt with tiny children and over-the-top stage parents who had their lives mapped out from the womb. It would be an ensemble show with a revolving ensemble. Children aged fast, the teachers of the school would come and go, a bunch of Broadway hacks that came back when their shows closed and took off at a moment’s notice at the whiff of an audition.

The first two of the three worries Blaine solved where that kids grow fast and kids have limited time that they can work. Blaine suggested that the ‘action’ of the show between the adults be shot like a regular show, but the children’s performances, rehearsals and class times could be pre-recorded. So it would have to be written, and the scripts finalized before filming started, the kids could be filmed all year long, utilizing their limited hours per day and rarely needing adults in the shots. The parents and staff of the school would contain most of the plot with the kids just props in their ongoing power struggles and weirdly inappropriate relationships.

Popular children could be followed into elementary or high school. But if someone demanded too much money or tried to take over the show, their character could be pulled out for a role on Broadway or in a movie. The same with the parents, any character who cost too much could be pulled and replaced. If a kid was popular and the actor that played a parent made it too complicated, a divorce could switch custodies and the kid could stay and the parent’s character abandon them for their career.

The third problem Blaine solved which was why Puck had him down as co-creator, was keeping cost down, such a large unwieldy cast was sure to top out the budget and drive production cost higher than the odd filming schedule needed for children. So Blaine brought up a couple shows he’d watched when visiting his Lola, badly dubbed on television. He had to pull them up on Wikipedia to show Puck. Apparently in the 70’s ABC had a similar idea to have a revolving cast and any star that needed exposure would do a guest spot on one or both of the shows, ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Fantasy Island’ were television staples that had given a number of out of work actors, so called ‘has beens’, Broadway favorites and up and coming new faces a screen test of how they worked on television. Both had had mass appeal, and low production cost. Unlike shows like ‘Friends’ since the cast could be replaced at any time there was little likelihood of salaries sky rocking.

Shooting at a school meant it could all be done at a sound stage, the city streets could be shot on a back lot. LA was a perfect location for a revolving door of cast members and if anyone was really good, they could leave the show for movies or television without severely impacting the story line. Sue thought it had the potential to be a cash cow and since Blaine was listed as a creator and producer suggested she act as the agent on it. As she pointed out, this was an idea best presented not to the creative minds but to the money men. And Sue had connections to the money men.

Blaine had Sue take over as Finn’s agent. He was still functioning as a manager for both Finn and Puck but Sue was savvier and he wanted the best for Finn. Blaine himself had just signed his first client, who wasn’t actually living with him. Lilo Delbar was the granddaughter of one of the restaurant owners near their apartment she was sixteen and had been attending a performance arts charter school since she was a little girl. He got her, her first role, a speaking part, well the line was ‘don’t shoot, don’t shoot’ when she threw herself to the floor and had safety glass rain down on her. But it would be in Finn’s big action film playing a clerk in a bodega, so it was pretty awesome. She was adorable and had a lot of heart and he only agreed to be her manager if she kept her promise to her grandmother and stayed in school.

Blaine remembered why he had gotten into the business. The sight of a defeated young man in a coffee shop ready to give up on himself which had moved him and how in some small way he had changed that young man. Sue was keeping her eyes out for people with bad management, people whose careers just needed someone to well, in her words, kick them in the head. Blaine knew that there were lots of dreamers in this town and most were as driven as Rachel. They didn’t need him. But there were some, who had been told not to try or that there was too much risk or that it was a dream for someone else. They needed him, and he’d find them.

 


	8. Epilogue

 

Finn’s hand kept a firm grip on his as Blaine was blinded by all the camera flashes. The gathered crowd’s noise blurred so no one voice stood out. He’d been to premiers with Sue but never the focus of red carpet attention. Puck and Sue had braved the gauntlet earlier, but writers never received the focus of the crowd like the stars did. Eliza had already endured this with her brother a few minutes ago. Burt and Carole along with Kurt and Aidan were already inside having entered through a different door with the critics and other industry specialists. But here he was as Finn’s date; the two of them would be all over various gossip blogs. Finn had never really been outted, but he hadn’t been in. The issue of his sexuality hadn’t come up, he wasn’t sure anyone associated with the film knew he was bisexual.

Being an unknown he hadn’t been committed to the grueling promotional schedule some big stars were obligated to perform and since this picture had been thrown together, Eliza was the one doing most of the interviews. He just wasn’t important enough. Having seen the dailies Blaine knew that attitude would not last, and Finn was already working on another film so his days just weren’t that interesting for the paps. He would probably be news as the first openly gay action star, and then spend months correcting people that he was bi. The only newsworthy item about Finn up to this point had been that the young actor had creative credit on a new hit TV show.

They posed for pictures and slowly made their way to the entrance. Shelby and Rachel had already made this trek, using the premier to generate buzz about their show. Stopping at E’s set up a microphone was thrust at Finn and someone, an unknown sent to cover what was supposed to be yet another action film only distinctive in that it was written by a television writer, asked, “What are you wearing?”

Blaine was immensely proud that Finn resisted the phone sex response but almost face palmed when he said, “A really nice suit that fits me.”

“It’s Hugo Boss,” Blaine said. “And with his muscles a good tailor is a necessity.”

“And you’re?” she said.

“Blaine. He’s mine. With me. We’re together,” Finn said.

She seemed gleeful, probably thinking breaking news would get her exposure, when she said, “I had no idea you were gay.”

“I’m not. I’m bi,” Finn said, “And why would you know anything about me. I’m not famous, or until now I wasn’t. I like that pin, is that a kangaroo?”

“Yes,” she said with a laugh, thrown by his subject change and honest self-deprecation, “a friend of mine makes them it’s a clay polymer.”

“My brother would love that, he’s inside you should come meet him,” Finn said, because yes Finn would probably have this low level ‘E presenter friended on Facebook by the end of the evening, because he was Finn.

Blaine added in answer to her incredulous look, “Finn’s brother works at Vogue. It could be good exposure for your friend. Does he just do jewelry or does he sculpt other things, because Sam Evans is here tonight as well.”

After the screening, which was everything Blaine had hoped for when he first read the script and more, as people were milling about deciding what parties to go to or where best to be seen, Finn corralled Kurt and dragged him off to meet his new reporter friend. Kurt really didn’t get a say in the matter. Blaine stayed with Jake, Sam and Jolene, as Sam did ever more hilarious impersonations of Kurt. Sam also loudly reminded everyone that Joss Whedon had been largely known as a television writer and now look at him.

Aidan had been left with Burt and Carole who were keeping Puck’s mom company. Puck and Sue were with Morrie, who had once again come out to attend the opening but was now staying in Sue’s guest room as Puck had moved in with Sue. So Finn and he were hosting the whole Hummel clan and Kurt and Aidan got to sleep together but were right next to the room with Burt and Carole so it was possible all that was happening was sleep.

They had renewed their lease despite not needing to be near the distribution center as Finn had been forced to leave when shooting started. They just hadn’t had time to look. But now that Puck’s second series - renamed ‘Rising Stars’ because the name Toddler Wars was already copyrighted, go figure - had started filming Blaine had formed his own production company and Finn had scripts for three more projects waiting to see if he wanted them so they had to start looking. Cooper had his eye on a place near him in Bungalow Heaven that hadn’t gone on the market yet. It was larger than his place and had three bedrooms and a loft over the garage. So if they could negotiate with the owners that would be where they would settle.

Blaine still functioned as Puck’s manager, not that he really needed anyone to pitch his shows. With his first successful forays into television and the shows proposed for the future, Noah Puckerman was being hailed as the next Aaron Spelling. Sue functioned as his agent and the blogosphere was split between thinking he was using her for her contacts or that she was using him for his bankable talent.

It gave Sue and Blaine an excuse to meet frequently at wherever was the hottest, new trendy restaurant and have long gossip filled lunches. Although Sue found his management style odd, especially when it involved flying in Jake, Mike, Sam and Artie and staging a weekend filled with ‘RockBand’ and drinking games. That particular bro-tervention had resulted in a show which was going to surprise the networks and the viewing public.

In true Puckerman fashion, what it appeared to be had hidden depths and rather serious underlying themes. It started with six guy on the high school football team, and what looked like an average humorous look at the drama and intrigue of a normal high school. They were a fairly diverse group, Black, White, Asian, Jew, gentile, straight and gay. It was about friendship and masculinity, what it meant to be a friend and a family, the difference between bros and brothers, how young men became men in a society of frequently absent or missing fathers. What looked like a normal coming of age show examined men in a way that the Hollywood buddy flicks never had.

It started in their high school, the first year of the show introduced them and gave their backstories, two of the six make it to play college ball; one turns down an offer to play college ball to go to dance school. Of the two who do continue with football, the gay one, is outed in college and is kicked off the team, he transfers to a different college and studies drama; the other is injured in his senior year and loses his shot at the draft. Of the remaining three, one goes to art school, another doesn’t graduate due to poor grades and has to make up the class in summer school, gets a girl pregnant and gets married. The last goes to care for his ailing grandfather and attends a community college near him, he’s the writer. His point of view ties the stories together while he’s works a job at a warehouse, attends school and tries to write his grandfather’s life story.

With Puck’s trademark witty banter providing distraction, the show was a sardonic tongue-in-cheek look at what society leads men to expect from others and themselves verses what being a man really means the boys grow up together. Each have adventures, occasionally visiting each other or coming back to their hometown, but they meet once a week in an online first person shooter game, where their deeply emotional and often insightful philosophical discussions are played out verbally while the screen shows violence and bloodshed.

By the end of the fifth season the two former college players are living with the writer in LA and tying their hand at acting. If it was optioned for longer Puck really had surprises in store for them but he was lulling the network into thinking that was all he had so they offered him more to hand over all ten years of it he had already mapped out.

Puck had so many demands on his time that he was turning down work right and left. But he made time to be team dad for Beth’s football team. Little girls, in pink uniforms called the ‘butterflies’, not exactly the rough and tumble image associated with football. Shelby was not thrilled when Beth wanted to play football like Daddy but her school; a performing arts charter school, had a football team for girls so she was on the team – playing nose tackle. The girl was fierce.

Shelby had been cast as Monica, the crazed actress whose whole life had been about being a star. And Shelby got the message, there was more to live than fame or the spotlight. Beth stayed with Sue and Puck when Shelby was out doing interviews or photoshoots. Rachel hadn’t given any indication that she thought the character had been based on her but was surprised Puck wrote a vehicle for Shelby and not her. Rachel had finally finished at NYADA after derailing her education with ‘Funny Girl’, Shelby had had to convince her that the small part of playing a high school version of her would do more for her career in the long run than pounding the pavement in Manhattan. So for now Rachel and Sugar had moved into a nice two bedroom, in a slightly less posh but secure building.

Sam had finally received permission to marry Jolene. And a lavish wedding was being planned for the November after she graduated law school. They would all be heading for New Orleans and after she graduated Jolene was already in talks with a firm in LA. Sam could work anywhere and they had discussed that once they moved and he was set up in his own studio, he would be the stay at home parent when the inevitable children arrived.

All in all they were doing quite well. Blaine’s parents had relocated to San Jose. It was close enough to San Francisco Airport for their traveling but a quiet little town away from the bustle of the city. They visited more frequently than Finn and he made the trip up, but they weren’t home as often as he was. Finn and he tried to see Carole and Burt at least once a year, but Lima was off the beaten path and other than the two of them there really was no reason to go back.

Stevie started UCLA and it gave them all pause to think of how much time had passed. Stacy was going to school in Louisville. Puck’s little sister, Miriam was had opted out of college and gotten a medical technicians license, operating an MRI machine. Puck was trying to talk her into transferring out to the west coast and had even offered to pay for a nursing degree, but she was still living at home with their mother.

Quinn was the first of the glee club alumni to give birth, and the second. She had a healthy baby boy named Luke and promptly filed for divorce and showed up on Finn and Blaine’s doorstep; mostly because Noah and Sue’s place wasn’t exactly listed. Her soon to be ex was apparently a lot like her father and had not taken the news that Quinn had given birth before well. Quinn also was filing a malpractice suit against her doctor for revealing that piece of her medical history.

Quinn hadn’t left without any forethought; she had a headhunter who wanted her for a west coast insurance company so had accepted the position and just needed a place to stay until she found a place to live, and a good day care. So Blaine called Rachel and Sugar and left the glee girls with an abundance of tea and baked goods and went over to warn Puck that Quinn was in town.

Things would never be smooth; they lived in the biggest fishbowl in America, if not the world. Finn couldn’t smile or laugh with anyone that the paps didn’t have him cheating. Noah and Sue were watched like hawks because the one thing this town loved more than a power couple it was tearing one down. The rumors about Shelby and Noah had started when someone caught the pick-up/drop off of Beth and many thought she was his ex. Sue actually found Beth’s presence reassuring. She had worried that Noah might want a family and that was one thing that at her age she couldn’t give him. Beth called Sue, ‘Sue’ and just said she was Daddy’s girlfriend.

No one knew that Rachel was Shelby’s daughter. Or that Shelby wasn’t Beth’s biological mother; it would probably all come out because secrets in this town always did. But life was change and they had a pretty solid network of friends.

Finn and he had talked about getting married but were waiting until after Sam’s wedding, when their schedules were clearer. They would probably keep it small and just fly Burt and Carole to San Francisco, and if they had Cooper and Puck and Sue they’d have to have Kurt and Sam, and hopefully with significant others they could keep the numbers down and still do it all at his parents place, maybe out in the garden. Or there was always Las Vegas.

 


End file.
